Blossoming Prayers
by YungVodkaDikost
Summary: It was said that everybody had a person they were meant to be with; a soul mate. Sakura always had mixed views about such things, but when her eighteenth birthday comes, her views on the subject could change forever. For better or for worse . Soul Mate AU
1. Chapter 1

**Two stories in a single day? Wow...I need to stop. Oh well! This plot actually came from a friend of mine. She was asking me questions for a paper she had to write and ended up helping me come up with the plot for this story instead. I** **'ve been working on this for HOURS. It was something totally new and exciting for me to try out and can't wait to see how it turns out. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Anyway!**

 **I do not own Naruto or its characters, just the plot to this story.**

 **If you enjoyed, please leave a review, favorite, and follow!**

 **S Lyubov'yu,**

 **Casper!**

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Soul mates. The people that were born into this world specifically for another person. They were said to be the person you were destined to be with until the end of time. At least, that's what the stories always said. Sakura wasn't always so sure how much of the stories and lore were true. But then again, she didn't exactly know how much of them were false either. She supposed that she would find out soon enough. Her eighteenth birthday was looming over her head. It would be the only way for her to know the truth behind the soul mate principal.

The lore behind soul mates was simple, yet it held many secrets far out of reach. Secrets that would not be revealed until you had reached the age of eighteen. After you've reached that age, you would cease to age completely. The years would continue to pass, but your body would cease aging. It didn't matter if thirty years had passed since your eighteenth birthday, until you had met your soul mate, you would not age a day. Some saw it as a way to obtain immortality. That is, unless illness were to take you. Or something dastardly were to happen to you, causing you to lose your life prematurely. The possibilities were endless.

Many people fantasized about what type of person their soul mate was. Were they tall and handsome? Short and stocky? Were they perfect ladies or gentleman? Or were they complete assholes? Nobody knew. Not until they met them for themselves, if they ever found them.

Sakura had heard stories about soul mates being separated by vast oceans, never being able to meet. She didn't know why, but it always saddened her to think that some people weren't able to meet the person that was destined for them. Sure, you were able to marry people who weren't your soul mates, but it never lasted. It wasn't meant to last. Some people out there thought that their soul mates were a lost cause and thus, gave up the thought of ever being with them. Much less finding them.

Now, Sakura never thought much on if she would ever meet her soul mate or not. Hell, she'd never even sat down and thought about what he looked like. She didn't want to get her hopes up for meeting them out of fear that she may never get the chance to meet them. She didn't want to set herself up for heartbreak. If she was able to meet them, then she would be more than happy to accept them. If she never met them? Well, she would be fine with that she supposed. She had spent the last few years preparing herself for that possibility. She didn't plan on being one of those who went on a sort of pilgrimage in search of their soul mate.

She thought the idea of pretty much hunting down a person to be a little ridiculous. Sure, she didn't fault someone for wanting to feel the love of another person, especially the person that was supposedly their soul mate. But hunting them down like they were some sort of animal was just silly and unnecessarily. If the Fates decided you were supposed to meet your soul mates, then you would meet them.

She supposed that she would just have to wait and see what the day of her eighteenth birthday would bring.

One thing she always wondered was how you knew if you had actually met your soul mate. It was said that you would stop aging after the age of eighteen until you met them. But how would you know that you had found them? Would their be some sort of sign?

A fluttering of the heart?

A sense of belonging?

Would you just know?

There were way too many possibilities and in a way, it bothered her that she didn't have an answer to it. It wasn't as if she could ask her parent's how they had known that they were meant for each other. They had passed away two years ago, right before her sixteenth birthday. They had passed before she had even thought about asking them such a question. She didn't know who else she could ask either. After her parents had died, she had moved away from her hometown and had lost contact with all of her old friends in the process.

She knew that she could have easily called them and asked, but she didn't think that they would want to talk to her. She hadn't exactly been the nicest person after her parent's passing. She had all but thrown them out of her life and thrown herself into a world of loneliness and self pity. It hadn't been pretty. And now, two years later, she was still alone. She hadn't enrolled in the high school in her new town, opting to finish her high school career by way of online courses. That way she wouldn't have to deal with people in the outside world as much as she normally would.

It wasn't as though Sakura wasn't a people person, in truth, she loved people. She loved talking to them, hearing their stories, and just watching them as they passed by her little house in the city. It fascinated her that people could be so carefree. She had dealt with the death of her parent's in stride, taking it day by day. She had long since gotten over her parent's passing, but she still felt as if there was something missing from her life.

She couldn't tell if it was from lack or human contact or it was just straight up loneliness. At that point, the only time she ever really left her cozy little two bedroom home was to go to work. She worked at a cute little bakery on Main Street. Somehow baking cookies and cakes all day and seeing the happy smiles of children always made her heart soar. But at the same time, watching the smiling children made her feel a small ache in her heart.

She had found out shortly after turning sixteen that she would not be able to have children of her own. She had been born with a rare disease in her womb that had caused her to have it removed. Her dreams of having children had all but been destroyed. She knew that adopting a child was an option, but she still ached to have a child of her own. And child brought into this world by her and her soul mate. If she ever met him, that is.

For now, she would be patient and see what the world brought her way.

For now, she could only hope that she was not destined to be alone.

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Sakura woke up with a sigh, it was finally her eighteenth birthday. The birds were singing, the sun was bathing her in its warm embrace, the sky was clear of clouds, signaling that it was going to be a beautiful day. She couldn't have asked for a nicer day if she tried. She threw her black comforter from her body, lifting her body into a sitting position before letting out a grunt as she stretched her still sleeping body.

Once she was satisfied that her body was properly stretched out, she rolled herself off her bed, her messy waist length bubblegum locks brushing her cheeks as she lifted herself into a standing position. Her thoughts wandered back to her childhood for a brief moment. Throughout most of her childhood, she had kept her unnaturally colored hair cut short in a pixie cut to prevent the bullies from her elementary and early high school years from pulling on it. She had forgotten how many times she had been mercilessly teased about the color of her hair or the size of her forehead.

The minute she had moved out of her home town and cut ties with her past life, she had grown her hair out the way she had always wanted it. There was no one here now to pull at her hair and call her names, she was alone. And in a way, she kind of liked it that way. Sure, she wouldn't mind someone to talk to every so often, even if it was about the little things. But at the same time, nobody being around meant no teasing, no questioning stares, and no worries about the people close to her finding their destined partners.

The pink haired teen shook her head, clearing her mind of her thoughts. It was too early for such deep thinking. She padded her way out of her bedroom and towards her bathroom, fully intending on washing her sleepiness from her skin. She had to work today and she wasn't about to show up looking like she had been recently mauled by a bear. Granted she rarely left the kitchen unless someone needed her to cover for them while they went on break or went out for a quick smoke.

But still, she was just as vain as any other woman. She liked to look her best. You never knew when you would meet someone worth looking pretty for. She shed her night clothes from her body and turned her shower on as hot as she could stand before jumping under the spray. She let out a small contented sigh as the water pelted her sleepy muscles into awareness. One thing she had noticed since she had grown her hair out was that washing her hair took twice as long and twice as much shampoo. Sure, the cost of her hygiene products had increased, but it was worth it.

She showered as quickly as she could before cutting off the water and grabbing a towel off the wrack just outside the shower curtain. She wrapped it tightly around her torso and body before stepping out of the tub. Years of living with a man in the house had made throwing a towel around her body almost second nature. She had learned that habit the hard way when her father had accidentally rushed into the bathroom while she was naked.

She had never been so mortified in her life.

Ever.

She grabbed a second towel from the wrack and tied it on top of her soaked hair, she didn't know why, but she refused to use the same towel she had dried her body with on her hair. She knew that her body was clean, but there was something about using her body towel on her hair that bothered her to no end.

She exited her bathroom and made her way back into her bathroom, grabbing a fresh pair of underwear out of her dresser as she passed by it. She quickly dried her body, careful not to move her head too much. She hated it when the towel came loose and fell of while she was drying off. Once her body was dry, she slipped on her underwear and walked of to her closet, fishing through it until she found her not-so-flattering work uniform. She loved her job, but the uniforms weren't exactly pretty to look at.

She slipped on a black undershirt before throwing on her work shirt, a plain gray collared shirt, her name embroidered right above her left breast. She was happy that she could at least wear whatever pants she wanted, having to wear a full on uniform reminded her too much of the atrocious uniform she had been forced to wear during her days in high school. She grabbed a pair of black skinny jeans from her closet and shimmied them up her hips.

She removed the towel from her hair and squeezed the excess water from her silky tresses before drying her hair thoroughly. Once she was satisfied that her hair was dry enough, she grabbed the hair brush off of her dresser and began the daunting task of brushing out her long hair. It had taken awhile to get used to having such a large amount of hair to brush, but after awhile, the feeling of the brush going trough her tresses became almost therapeutic and relaxing.

A short time later, Sakura was dressed and ready to haul ass to work. She only worked about ten minutes from her house by foot. She didn't see a point in driving her car to work since she lived so close. She honestly couldn't even remember the last time she had actually driven her car. She silently questioned herself as to why she was paying insurance on a car she never drove. She shrugged it off after a moment, she never knew when she would actually need it. It was better to be safe than sorry.

She glanced at the clock on her stove as she passed by her kitchen, she had twenty minutes before her shift started. She grabbed an apple out of the bowl on the counter before stuffing her feet into her favorite pair of black and purple high tops. She never understood why people always assumed her favorite color was pink. She chalked it up to being because of the outrageous color of her hair. In truth, her favorite color was purple. She had no idea why. It just was.

After stepping outside and locking her front door, Sakura made her way down the street towards the bakery. She hoped that her shift would go by quickly and that she would be home sooner rather than later. She had a date with all of the SAW movies when she got home. It was how she spent every birthday. Somehow spending her entire day in her pajamas watching horror movies just seemed like a great way to spend her birthday. Her old friends had always told her she needed to get out more, but she wouldn't hear anything about it.

There just wasn't a way for her to be torn away from the movies she loved so much.

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Sakura walked into the bakery, throwing the leftover core from her breakfast in a nearby trash can. She waved to the blond behind the counter as she made her way towards the back room. Said blond didn't seem satisfied with just a simple wave and followed her into the backroom, fully intending on getting a proper morning greeting.

"Sakura-Chan, don't I get more than just a stupid wave?", the blond whined as he entered the backroom.

"Good morning, Naruto.", she sighed, turning her head to give him a small smile.

"That's better.", he grinned, his bright blue eyes dancing with barely withheld mischief.

"Get your ass back to the front before people think we're closed.", Sakura smirked, pulling her apron out of her work locked, tying it around her waist before she spun around the face the blond.

"Fine, meanie. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday!", he pouted, jutting his bottom lip out, trying to guilt her into feeling bad.

"Thanks, Naruto. And you know your pouting doesn't work on me.", she winked, walking past him and towards the kitchens.

"Someday you'll fall for my charms!", he called.

"Not on your life!", she called back with a small laugh.

Naruto shook his head and made his way back towards the front of the bakery. He couldn't help but adore the short pink haired woman. She had been the first person in a long time that had not judged him or berated him for any reason. She had accepted who he was and never judged him for his nearly endless amount of energy. She had easily become somewhat like a sister to him, though he wasn't sure that she returned his feelings. She had always seemed so closed off to him, hardly showing any sort of emotion. It had taken him awhile to learn how to read her, if you wanted to know how she was feeling, you had to look deeply into her eyes.

Her face and body language may have been able to lie about her emotions, but her eyes betrayed her every time without fail.

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Hours passed quickly for Sakura, she glanced at the clock every so often to make sure that she hadn't stayed later than she was supposed to. For whatever reason, she had a bad habit of losing track of time and continuing her tasks well past the time she was given. Granted, her bosses loved her work ethic. If she wasn't done with the job she was given, she always stayed longer to ensure that it was finished before she left.

She refused to be a lazy bum and push her own work onto someone else.

She heard the bell up front ding against the door, signaling that somebody had entered the shop. She wiped the flour from her hands onto her apron before exiting the kitchen, Naruto had gone on his break a few minutes prior so it was her job to cover both the back and the front. She was grateful that she had put off sticking her next batch of cookies in the oven until the bubbly blond had returned from his break.

She plastered the nicest smile she could muster onto her face before walking into the customers sight.

"Welcome to Sharanno's, how can I help...you?", Sakura trails off, taking in the form of the man in front of her.

Jade eyes lock with deep violet. Time seems to freeze for a moment, neither of them taking a single breath. Sakura took in the fine details of the man in front of her, deep violet eyes that seemed to almost ooze danger. A cocky smirk graced his lips, his silver tinted hair was slicked back tastefully.

' _Lord have mercy, he's hot as hell!'_ , she internally screamed.

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 **First chapter done! Hopefully it didn't turn out too terrible. Thoughts?**

 **If you enjoyed, please leave a review, favorite, and follow!**

 **Also!**

 **Are there anymore soul mate pairs you would like to see in this story?**

 **Let me know!**

 **Until Next Time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**This story will just not leave me alone, I can't help but continue to write it! Hopefully people are enjoying it as much as I am enjoying writing it. I can't help but hope that that is the case. This was probably one of the easiest chapters I have ever had to write for any of my stories, it was almost like it wrote itself! I'm not about to argue with that!**

 **Anyway!**

 **I do not own Naruto or its characters, just the plot to this story.**

 **If you enjoyed, please leave a review, follow, and favorite! I'd love to hear people's opinions!**

 **S Lyubov'yu,**

 **Casper**

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 _Previously;_

 _She heard the bell up front ding against the door, signaling that somebody had entered the shop. She wiped the flour from her hands onto her apron before exiting the kitchen, Naruto had gone on his break a few minutes prior so it was her job to cover both the back and the front. She was grateful that she had put off sticking her next batch of cookies in the oven until the bubbly blond had returned from his break._

 _She plastered the nicest smile she could muster onto her face before walking into the customers sight._

" _Welcome to Sharanno's, how can I help... you?", Sakura trails off, taking in the form of the man in front of her._

 _Jade eyes lock with deep violet. Time seems to freeze for a moment, neither of them taking a single breath. Sakura took in the fine details of the man in front of her, deep violet eyes that seemed to almost ooze danger. A cocky smirk graced his lips, his silver tinted hair was slicked back tastefully._

' _Lord have mercy, he's hot as hell!', she internally screamed._

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"You just going to stand there and fucking gawk at me, Pinky, or are you going to give me some damn service?", the silver haired Adonis smirked. He hadn't missed the way she had looked at him when she had rounded the corner. If she had been staring any harder, he was sure that his clothes would disintegrate under the heat of her stares.

"Oh! I'm sorry! How can I help you?", Sakura blushed, though she wasn't sure if she was blushing because she had been caught staring or if it was because his voice matched his face and body. Sexy. As. Hell!

"I just wanted a couple of damn bagels to go, I drew the fucking short straw and got stuck buying a couple of my friend's breakfast this morning.", he stated with a roll of his eye.

"I understand how that goes, hopefully your friends aren't like how mine used to be. They were bottomless pits and enjoyed eating me out of house and god damn home.", she sympathized.

"Oh, these idiots would eat everything in this damn bakery if their wallets weren't so empty.", he smirked, handing her the cash to pay for his order.

"My friends were the same way.", she chuckled with a shake of her head.

"At least somebody feels my damn pain.", the silverette groaned.

"I do, now I'll be right back with your order.", she laughed, turning her back to head back towards the kitchen.

Sakura grabbed a few of the bagels she had baked fresh just that morning and put them in a take-out box. As an afterthought, she grabbed a couple of the fresh blueberry muffins that she had pulled out of the oven about a half hour ago, she didn't know if he liked that flavor but she figured it was the thought that counted in the end. And if his claims about his friends being bottomless pits was anything to go by, she was sure he wouldn't mind a few free pastries.

" _Sometimes I am just too nice for my own good, and then I get screwed over in the end. Oh well, at least I'll have some good karma on my side."_ , she thought with a small shrug.

Just as she was about to head back up to the front with the customer's order, she stopped herself and replayed the scene of him entering the shop in her head. She was still confused as to why her body had reacted the way it had. She had never felt such a strong surge of emotion in her entire life. Not even when her parents had died, not when she had lost her friends, it was a completely new feeling for her. And she'd be lying if she said she didn't like how it had made her feel.

She made a mental note to hit up the God known as Google when her shift ended and see if the internet could shed some light on her predicament. Not having any other way to get answers about these sorts of things had always irritated her a little. She didn't like being in the dark about anything. She liked having the answers. And at that point, she had none to give herself. And it bothered her. A lot. So, it looked like she was just going to have to take Google as her mistress when she got home.

With that thought in mind, she grabbed the box of goodies off the counter and made her way back to the front of the shop. The silver haired man was looking intently at the display case, almost like he was trying to decide which one held the true meaning of life. Before she could stop herself, she had to ask.

"You alright there? You're looking at that pastry like it denied you entry into Heaven or it refused to tell you the true meaning of life.", she asked with a raised eyebrow, setting his box of baked good on the counter for him to grab.

"What? I can't appreciate a damn good-looking pie?", he asked in mock offence, he raised an eyebrow at her, almost as if to dare her to question his motives for looking at the pie further.

"Now, now, I never said that. Did you want a piece?", she asked, her eyebrow still making the middle of her forehead its home. She mentally smirked at this guy's attitude, he was amusing to say the least. It was a nice change from the normally boring shifts she usually had.

"Nah, if I show up back at my buddies' apartment with a single slice of pie he might dismember me.", the silverette sighed, he could already feel his shoulders dislocating from the force of his friends pulling him back and forth in their battle for the pie. He mentally shuddered and the thought and unconsciously rolled his shoulders.

Sakura smirked and shook her head before opening the display case on the other side of the counter. She grabbed the baked good he had been all but molesting with his eyes and put it in its own take-out box, handing it to him once it was properly packaged.

"Then just take the whole damn thing, not like we don't have more. It's on the house.", she shrugged. She didn't mind that she was technically making more work for herself, but then again, most of her work was already done and her shift wasn't even half over. So, in a way, she was actually giving herself something to do.

"Well, I'm not about to pass up free food. You're not half bad, Pinky.", he smirked, His smirk deepened when he saw a flash of annoyance pass through her jade colored eyes. It seemed she didn't appreciate his little nickname for her. He mentally shrugged it off, she'd get used to it eventually.

" _Wait, what?!",_ he mentally screeched. What the hell was he talking about eventually for?! He barely knew this chick and he was already thinking like that? He'd have to consult Sasori later about this, he'd have an answer. Maybe. He hoped.

"It's Sakura, and if I would advise you to not eat my pies too quickly. You'll get diabetes.", she advised with a slight roll of her jade colored eyes, trying to ignore his little jab at her hair. It wasn't her fault she had been born with such an outrageous hair color. If he wanted to call someone Pinky, he should have met her father. His hair color belonged in some random four-year-old girl's bedroom walls. Not on a man's head.

"Name's Hidan, and diabetes is the least of my worries if I bring this back with me. It's going to turn into an all-out brawl to get the biggest damn piece of this thing.", Hidan laughed, already picturing the look of pure horror on his best friends face when he saw the property damage done all in the name of pie. Suddenly bringing home the free pie was sounding more and more like a good idea.

"Just use a couch cushion as a shield or grab one of your friends and start beating a motherfucker with another motherfucker.", she shrugged, trying to picture Hidan swinging around some unsuspecting victim like a weapon. She let out a small snort of amusement, not even trying to look embarrassed at her less than ladylike actions.

" _Dear Jashin, above, where had this girl been all my life?! And did she just make a jab at Soul Eater with that beating a motherfucker with another motherfucker jibe?!"_

"I'll keep that in mind, but I should probably get my ass back before they start eating the couch and they leave me without a cushion shield.", he replied with a smirk, grabbing his boxes of baked goods from the countertop.

"Well I wish you luck and hopefully see you later.", Sakura nodded with a small smile before turning around and heading back into the kitchens. Her biggest concern now was the fact that not only had she just had a full-blown conversation with the person that was making her heart beat like crazy, her heart still hadn't calmed itself!

"I'm going to have a heart attack if I don't calm my damn emotions.", she mumbled to herself. She let out a small sigh of relief when she heard the bell upfront ding, signaling that Hidan had left the shop. She slid down one of the walls in the kitchen and replayed the entire exchanged in her mind.

" _I wonder what he thinks about the whole soul mate principal thing."_

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Hidan listened to the door to the bakery swing shut behind him. He knew for a fact that he wasn't the only one that had felt the little connection click between him and the odd pink haired baker. Normally people would shy away from him for one reason or another. Whether it was because of his less than desirable personality or the fact that he cursed like a sailor. But not that woman, she'd actually had a normal conversation with him and hadn't shied away from him.

That hadn't happened in a very long time.

And he kind of liked it.

He kind of liked her.

He would have to make another trip to the bakery sometime soon to see the feisty little pinkette again soon. And hopefully keep Deidara as far away from her as possible. His energetic blond friend would probably try to paint her nails and braid her hair. He mentally cringed at the mental image of Deidara and Sakura having some weird ass tea party while they plotted the demise of men and women around the world.

Somehow, it seemed like a total possibility.

And it was truly terrifying.

Hidan shook his head from his thoughts and walked up the stairs leading to his best friend Kakazu's apartment. When he reached the third floor he walked to the apartment that he virtually shared with the older man. He kicked open the door without even bothering to knock and kicked it closed with his foot.

"Hey assholes, I come bringing food!", he shouted, his voice resonating through the small two-bedroom apartment. Moans and groans approval could be heard from at least three different people in the apartment. He smirked to himself, they were way too easy to please. He made his way towards Kakazu's poor excuse for a kitchen and set the two boxes Sakura had given him onto the counter. One by one, the other occupants in the apartment made their way into the small kitchen.

"What'd you bring this time, un?", groaned a blond-haired teenager, he rolled himself off the couch and landed in a crouch on the floor. He slowly crawled towards the kitchen, not feeling up to walking at that moment.

"Bagels, muffins, and a fucking pie, Deidara.", Hidan replied with a roll of his eyes, flipping open the lids on the boxes Sakura had prepared for him. He resisted the sudden urge to drool when the delectable scent of freshly baked goods assaulted his sinuses. This woman could bake!

"Why did you bring a pie for breakfast?", a red head asked with a raised eyebrow, walking into the kitchen with more dignity than the blond currently crawling around on the floor like a toddler.

"The chick watching the bakery gave it to me on the house, I damn well wasn't about to pass up a free pie, Sasori.", the silverette shrugged, tossing Sasori a fresh bagel.

"Free you say? Think she could manage to get me free groceries on top of it?", Kakazu shouted from the living room. The older man wasn't about to try to fight with teenagers that were easily ten years his senior for a pastry.

"I don't think it works like that, you old crone!", Hidan barked, taking a large bite of one of the muffins she had given him. He bit back a moan when the pastry hit his taste buds. Blueberry. How did she know that blueberry was his favorite? He chalked it up to pure luck on her part.

"Worth a shot!"

"Crazy old bastard.", the three teens groaned in unison before each of them grabbed a pastry out of the box on the counter, deciding to save the pie for later that day. It wasn't often that they got to treat themselves in such a manner and they damn well weren't about to eat it right away.

The three of them sat at the small table that didn't quite pass as a kitchen table to enjoy their food. They had made sure to leave a little of everything for Kakazu, lest they suffer his wrath later. They had learned their lesson from the last time they had eaten all the food and left nothing for the older man. Not only had they been kicked out of his apartment, he had shaved the side of Deidara's head, telling the seventeen year old blond that he'd never get a girlfriend if he looked like a woman himself. Much to the blondes and Sasori's distaste. It was no secret between the four friends that Sasori and Deidara were together and very much in love.

Even if it seemed like they wanted to murder each other in their sleep half the time.

"So, what made the that baker want to give you free food anyway, un?", Deidara asked with a raised eyebrow, one of his hands unconsciously rubbing that side of his head where Kakazu had shaved a few months back. He was a little more than grateful for the fact that his hair grew at a rapid pace so he hadn't been stuck walking around looking like a hipster for an unimaginable amount of time.

"I honestly don't know.", Hidan shrugged. A thought suddenly occurred to him. His thoughts suddenly went back to the lessons they were all taught about when they were children.

"Something on your mind, Hidan?", Sasori asked. He hadn't missed the slight distanced look in the silverette's normally focused violet eyes.

"I was wondering, Sasori. How did you know that you were destined to be with Deidara? Especially since he hasn't turned eighteen yet.", the silver haired teen asked. This was not a conversation he wanted to have with the blunt red-head, but it seemed he had little choice. It was either ask him or Kakazu and if he asked the old bastard, he would never be able to live it down. So, Sasori was probably the safer choice.

"Why the sudden interest in soul mates? You've never been interested before, hell, you didn't even think it existed.", Sasori pointed out.

"Just answer the damn question!", Hidan barked. The one thing about his red-haired friend was that he never gave answers willingly. He always had to ask his own questions first before you got any sort of answer out of him. It irritated him to no end.

"To put it simply, it felt as if something within my mind and body clicked together. Almost as if I had found a missing piece of myself.", the red-head explained with a shrug of his shoulders, drawing the suddenly swooning blond to his side. People always thought it was weird that Sasori and Deidara had ended up being soul mates, especially since they were complete opposites. Sasori was blank faced and blunt to a fault, while Deidara was happy go lucky and a raging ball of emotion. People always said that they balanced each other out, and that was why they worked so well together.

"Interesting. Well, bitches, I think I found my soul mate then.", Hidan grumbled, resisting the sudden urge to bash his skull in on the kitchen table. It was true, he had never believed in the soul mate principal at all. Well, that was partially true, he had seen people find their soul mates. Deidara and Sasori for example, he had known the red head longer and he had witnessed him and the blond figure out that they were meant for each other. It had been more than a little shocking for the mated pair, considering both had never even suspected that they were gay. Hidan had to admit, that had been quite amusing to watch.

Especially since at first glance, both Hidan and Sasori had thought the blond was a woman.

Until he started to talk to them.

The look of pure horror on Sasori's face would forever be engrained in the silverette's brain.

"Who do you think it is and why, un?", Deidara piped up. He had been letting his soul mate take care of explaining things to Hidan but now he couldn't contain his excitement. He just had to know who was destined to spend the rest of their days with the foul mouth known as Hidan.

" _Why do I suddenly feel sorry for them, un?"_

"That baker chick, when she and I made eye contact, it felt like the damn world paused for second and my fucking heart wouldn't quit beating heavily. Thought I was having a heart attack for a moment.", Hidan groaned, resting his head on the tables surface. He had long since finished his food and made a quick mental note to thank her for the free shit. And to maybe ask her for her number, maybe.

"Sounds like you found your soul mate, un!", Deidara exclaimed happily. He took a quick peek at the name of the bakery scrawled out on the take-out boxes their food came in.

" _Looks like I'm making a trip to Sharanno's later to meet this soul mate of his, un!",_ the blond thought happily.

"It does seem possible that this woman is your destined soul mate. But why do you seem so disappointed?", Sasori asked with a raised eyebrow, he absently twirled a lock of his soul mate's blond hair in his fingers, an odd habit he had picked up shortly after starting his relationship with the bubbly blond.

"I'm not fucking disappointed! It's the fact that I don't do this relationship crap!", Hidan moaned pitifully into the tables surface. He really wasn't someone who had ever put any thought into having a relationship with anybody. Sure, he'd had one night stands in the past, but they had been no strings attached. He didn't quite like the idea of being tied to anybody for any purpose. Unless it came to being friends with a person, that he could live with.

"Oh, come on, un. It's not like she's unattractive, right?", Deidara mused, ruffling his distressed friends smooth silver hair. It was no secret that he absolutely adored running his fingers through Hidan's hair. Or anybody's hair really, he liked the feeling of having someone's silky tresses passing through his fingers. Why he liked it so much, he had no idea. He never really questioned it either.

"She's fucking hot, but that's not the point!", the silver haired teen whined, trying to wiggle his head away from the blonde's touch, wincing when he felt Deidara pull his hair to keep him still. With a sigh, he accepted the blonds petting and continued to wallow in his own self-pity.

"Why not just try being friends with her then? Being someone's soul mate doesn't automatically say you should jump their bones and become a couple. You two could just be destined to be best friends.", Sasori pointed out with a shrug. He mentally wondered how their little chat had become so deep and had inadvertently become a petting train. He would never understand his soul mate's obsession with petting their foul-mouthed friend's hair. Though it did look inhumanly soft, not that he would ever admit that out loud. He had a reputation to uphold.

"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I think you might be right, Puppet Fucker.", Hidan mumbled, lifting his head from the tabletop. "So, how do I go about becoming friends with her?"

"How the hell should I know? Go see her at work more often, make a point to talk to her, ask her to hang out with us outside of work.", the red-head suggested with a shrug.

"I'd love to meet her, un!", Deidara cheered, bouncing in his chair excitedly. He wasn't always the greatest at making new friends but the thought of being able to add someone to their little group was kind of a nice thought. Especially if he would have a girl to talk to. He loved hanging around with Sasori, Hidan, and Kakazu, but sometimes he wished they had a woman around. Mostly because he wanted someone to share his more feminine side with. They never let him paint their nails when he wanted to.

"That little brat is too damn hyper this early in the morning!", Kakazu shouted from the living room.

"How much of this shit did you hear, old man?!", Hidan cried, his paling at the thought of his older friend hearing about his plight.

"Only all of it! Go talk to your woman damn it!", the older man ordered from his spot in the living room.

A collective "Shit" filtered through the small apartment.

So much for keeping quiet and being sneaky about this.

"I hate when you're right, Kakazu!", Hidan moaned, burying his head in his hands.

"We'll go with you, un!", Deidara offered with a smirk, finding this new development nothing short of amusing.

"I think that would probably be best, Hidan isn't the epitomy of social retard.", Sasori agreed with a sigh.

"Go fuck yourself.", the silverette snapped.

"I'll think about it, after we go meet your soul mate. Deidara, a little help?", Sasori smirked, turning to his soul mate.

Deidara nodded to his soul mate before removing himself from Sasori's side and making his way over to their sulking friends side. He grabbed one of Hidan's arms and Sasori grabbed the other. They mentally counted to three before hauling their friend out of his chair and began dragging him towards to front door of the apartment. Both ignoring their friends cries to let him go. They assured him that it was for his own good and that this needed to be done. They were secretly grateful that Hidan had not discarded his shoes when he had entered the apartment and both males shoved their feet into their shoes.

Once they were wearing their shoes, they through open the front door and hauled their friend out the door and down the block, fully intending on having Hidan face his soul mate, or at least, confirm that she really was his soul mate.

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A few blocks down, Sakura looked up from her bowl of dough and looked towards the swinging door that led to the front of the store.

"Why do I suddenly get the feeling that my life is about to get a whole lot more interesting?", she mused to herself.

The sound of the front door of the shop opening and a sharp curse confirmed her theory.

"Why do I always have to be right about these things?!", she moaned.

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 **This chapter didn't take me nearly as long to write as I thought it would, like I said, this chapter basically wrote itself, which I am eternally grateful for! Hope you enjoyed!**

 **If you enjoyed, please leave a review, favorite, and follow!**

 **Next story to be updated will be Don't Leave Me!**

 **Until Next Time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I seriously love writing this story, like my god, I can never keep a straight face when I write it. I get to use all the little thoughts that filter through my mind and it's kind of a nice change of pace, if that makes any damn sense. It makes sense to me, so I'm just going to roll with it.**

 **This has to be one of the easiest stories I have ever written and it makes it that much more enjoyable for me to write. Hopefully people are enjoying it as much as I am. If not, well, that won't stop me from continuing onward. I refuse to leave any story I start unfinished!**

 **I'm so sorry that this took so long to post, I've been so damn busy lately that I haven't had time to do much of anything! Hopefully the wait wasn't for nothing and that this chapter isn't a disappointment! Hopefully now that my life is calming down a bit I will have more time to continue my stories! Fingers crossed!**

 **Anyway!**

 **I do not own Naruto or its characters, just the plot to this story.**

 **If you enjoyed, please leave a review, favorite, and follow!**

 **S Lyubov'yu,**

 **Casper!**

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 _Previously;_

 _A few blocks down, Sakura looked up from her bowl of dough and looked towards the swinging door that led to the front of the store._

" _Why do I suddenly get the feeling that my life is about to get a whole lot more interesting?", she mused to herself._

 _The sound of the front door of the shop opening and a sharp curse confirmed her theory._

" _Why do I always have to be right about these things?!", she moaned._

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Sakura cringed as she heard a resounding thud from the lobby of the bakery, part of her hoped that it was someone tripping and eating the carpet instead of a display case falling. Somehow, without fail, someone always managed to knock over one of the various display cases throughout the bakery. And it always seemed to happen during her shift and she always ended up being the one to get stuck with cleaning it up. She let out a small sigh and removed her hands from the dough she was kneading on the counter and wiped her hands on her apron.

Slowly, Sakura made her way towards the front of the bakery, noticing that the thuds and curses coming from the front had not ceased, but had gotten louder. She really hoped she wasn't about to deal with a rather bitchy customer, especially since she was actually having a pretty good day. Somehow meeting Hidan had lifted her spirits and she hadn't felt the need to slaughter anybody who had entered the store since then.

It was a new record for her.

Unfortunately for her, Naruto had been a little more than amused by her change in attitude. When he had asked her what had changed, she had just shrugged him off and told him it wasn't something he should worry his pretty little blond head about. Needless to say, the bubbly blond had blushed at her compliment. Even if she hadn't really meant to call him pretty. Her blond co-workers crush on her was more than a little well know, he had been crushing on her since they were mere children. Sakura hardly took notice of his advances as the years went on, he would always be nothing more than a brother to him.

Sadly, that was something Naruto refused to grasp.

Another curse broke Sakura out of the small trance she had been in and sighed audibly.

"Looks like I better get out there before whoever that is decides their next course of action is leveling the shop.", she muttered to herself before squaring her shoulders, preparing herself for the worst.

Sakura dragged her feet as she slowly made her way towards the door leading to the front, bracing herself for the scene that laid just beyond the door. With one last sigh, she pushed the swinging door open and took in the disturbing scene that was unfolding in the middle of her work place. Three grown men were in some sort of dog pile in the middle of the floor, a slightly familiar shock of silver hair was poking out from the bottom of the pile. She didn't know whether to sigh in frustration or laugh out loud at the sight before her.

"Hidan? Is that you?", she asked with a raised eyebrow. She quickly made her way closer to the front counter to get a better look at the scene. There was no doubt in her mind that the bigger victim of the dog pile was none other than the man that had been the obsession of her thoughts for the last couple of hours. Because really, how many people in this town had shockingly silver hair? Not many if her memory was correct. A painful moan broke her out of her musing at her poked her head further over the counter to see what would happen next.

"Pinky, get these bastards off me before I turn your bakery into a blood bath.", Hidan moaned from underneath his friends. If he could even consider them his friends at this point. What kind of friends forced you to face a woman just because there was a suspicion that said woman was his soul mate?! They knew that he was no good when it came to people, so how the hell was he supposed to face the woman whose face wouldn't leave his mind?!

"Um, I'd be happy to help, but I'm not sure I want to be added to the little dog pile you've got going on there.", she pointed out with a smirk, granted he couldn't exactly see her smirk. The red head currently sitting on his head was kind of blocking his view of her. "Care to explain why it looks like that red head on top of you looks like he's trying to get to third base with you, by the way?"

"I doubt they'd sit on you! And he isn't trying to do anything gay with me, damn it! He's just being a dick to me!", Hidan cried, his voice slightly muffled by the pressure on his face.

"I see, well, you could at least have the decency to introduce your friends", she laughed, shooting a small smirk to the blond that was sitting on Hidan's legs. It looked like the blond was going everything in his power to restrain himself from busting a gut over the entire situation.

"The red headed douche is Sasori and Blondie is his soul mate Deidara. Now get them off me for fucks sake!", Hidan barked.

With a small nod towards the blond, Deidara, she motioned for him to remove himself from the silver haired man's legs. Once Deidara had removed himself from the man, Sakura made her way around the counter and grabbed Sasori by the shirt collar, pulling him swiftly off Hidan's head. Behind her, Sakura could have sworn she heard Deidara snort with amusement at the sight of his soul mate being lifted of a man by a woman smaller than him.

Sakura didn't look it, but she was a lot stronger than she looked. A simple fact that she liked to use to her advantage every now and again. She set the red head down next to Hidan and lowered herself into a squatting position next the still grumbling silverette.

"Happy now?", she smirked, her emerald green eyes dancing with amusement. Her smirk grew slightly when she was greeted with an annoyed glare from the older man on the ground. Everything about this situation was amusing in her eyes, granted she wasn't about to complain about the free entertainment. She did, however, wonder what had brought Hidan back to the shop so suddenly and couldn't help but wonder why he had brought people with him this time. She had seen him a short time ago and didn't see any logical reason for his return.

' _Maybe he felt that weird feeling earlier and wants to confront me about it, maybe he thinks I really am his soul mate. Oh Kami, I don't think I could deal with that kind of drama right now!',_ she moaned internally, skillfully keeping her smirk plastered on her face. Shortly after she had started working at the bakery she had learned how to keep a straight face, it really helped when she was dealing with bitchy customers.

Apparently, it came in handy when she was in the middle of having an inner battle with herself too. She tucked that small bit of information away for a later date, who knew when that sort of skill would come in handy later down the line. The sound of Hidan's irritated grumbling broke her out of her inner thoughts, she mentally shook her head and returned her attention towards the silver haired man on the floor of her shop.

"I'm sorry, I spaced out for a moment there. Could you repeat that, Hidan?", she asked sheepishly. Though she really was nervous about the possibilities for his visit, she really didn't want him to start thinking that she was just a ditzy space case. She was a respectable woman, damn it! Granted she wasn't doing a very good job of doing that, what with her zoning out and all.

"I said, I'd be happier if these idiots would stop dragging me places and tackling me to the ground. My fucking back hurts, your floors aren't exactly made of cotton and fucking rainbows.", Hidan grumbled with a roll of his eyes. He had noticed during his tiny speech that she had gained a far off look in her eyes, almost as if she had been lost in her own thoughts. A part of the silverette couldn't help but hope that he was the reason for her jumbled thoughts. He quickly dispelled such thoughts from his mind. No woman in their right mind would ever be interested in him and his overwhelming emotional baggage.

He silently pitied Sakura for the possibility that she could very well be his soul mate and ultimately be stuck with him in some way, shape, or form.

He rolled his eyes when he heard Sakura giggle softly next to him, he failed to see what part of this situation called for giggling. He was pretty sure he had a couple of bruised ribs and his pride was all but in tatters.

And she was crouched next to him giggling like it was nothing more than an innocent joke.

That wasn't what bothered him though.

It was the fact that he couldn't bring himself to be upset with her laughing. No, instead he was reveling in the melodic sound of her giggles. He subconsciously decided that that was now his favorite sound in the world. When his subconscious thoughts caught up to him, he mentally slapped himself for thinking such sappy thoughts. He had never had thoughts like this before and he wasn't looking to start thinking such things now. Hell, he didn't even know if this girl was really his soul mate. Nor did he know if she had even reached her eighteenth birthday. He was already twenty and hadn't felt the small spark that he had felt with her before today.

But if she wasn't eighteen yet, there was no way he would make a move either way. Minors weren't his thing.

That was a whole level of creepy that he was never going to touch.

Ever.

"Now look who's spacing out and leaving us humans down here on earth.", Sakura smirked, poking Hidan's forehead before raising herself from her crouched position. She was finally starting to feel her legs going numb. She gave a small stretch when she stood to her full height, letting out a small sigh of relief as she felt the blood flow returning to her legs. She held out her hand to Hidan, offering him a hand up off the ground. She couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips when she felt his long digits wrap around her own.

After pulling Hidan to his feet, Sakura took a small look around the shop. She had gotten lucky that the building had been all but empty when the trio of friends had decided to have an all-out wrestling match in the middle of her store. She noticed that during her entire conversation with Hidan that Sasori and Deidara hadn't said so much as a single word. She could tell right away when she had met the blond, Deidara, that he wasn't one to keep his mouth shut. Sasori on the other hand, well, his silence didn't really surprise the pinkette very much. He seemed like he was a man of few words. Not that that was a problem or anything. She let out a small sigh and turned to face the three friends in her shop.

"Now that that is over, want to explain why you're here? I doubt you came back for more pastries. And if pastries are indeed the reason you came back to the store, I'm going to start fearing for your blood sugar levels.", she asked with a raised eyebrow, giving each male in her store a suspicious look. Part of her found the nervous looks that appeared on their facing a little amusing. Another part of her though, was nervous as hell. She liked to think that each of them could at least be considered her friends, or something along those lines. But the nervous looks on their faces was making her nervous as well.

"Well, you see Sakura…Oh shit how do I explain this, yeah?", Deidara spoke up, only to let the words he so desperately wanted to say died in his throat. He wanted nothing more than to tell her why they had dragged Hidan back to her bakery, but part of him knew that it wasn't his place to give up such information. Unfortunately, Hidan was going to have to be the one to tell her. And he knew that getting the foul mouthed silverette wasn't one to show anything that had to do with his emotions, much less put them into words. Hell, at this point, he wasn't even sure if Hidan was sure about how he felt. The blond ran a frustrated hand through the fringe over his eye before turning his gaze to his soul mate at his side, silently begging him to do something. He heard Sasori let out a small sigh before the red head turned his head towards Hidan.

"Hidan, I think it would be most wise for you to explain why we have dragged you back here. This is something you should tell her, not us. It isn't our place to intrude.", Sasori explained calmly, his eyes dancing with silent mischief at the situation he and his soul mate had ultimately put their friend in. The look Hidan shot him made him silently grateful that looks did not have the power to kill.

Or he'd probably be dead where he sat. And he wasn't sure he was ready to die just yet.

"I don't think you assholes realize that you intruded by dragging me back here before I had a fucking moment to consider what was going on, ever think of that?", Hidan snapped, shooting his left hand out to give them the finger before returning his attention back to the confused pinkette in front of them. He felt himself instantly relax when he met her gaze, there was no doubt about it.

This girl had to be his soul mate. Nothing else could explain how he felt so calm in her presence.

"Well, Hidan, are you going to explain? I mean, I won't force you to tell me if you don't want to yet.", Sakura spoke up calmly. She didn't know how, but she could tell that Hidan was starting to get uncomfortable. She didn't want to push him into doing something he wasn't comfortable with doing. Something about forcing him to do anything he didn't want to put a bad taste in her mouth.

"Are you sure that's alright with you, Sakura? I don't want to piss you off, you know?", Hidan grumbled as he lowered his head, he mentally slapped himself when he felt his cheeks heat up with embarrassment. He chanced a look up at Sakura, only to find her cheeks tinted pink as well. Yeah, he definitely wasn't going to be able to tell her right away. Especially with Sasori and Deidara literally inches away from them. This was a personal thing, not something that he should announce after knowing the girl for a couple of hours and in front of his friends.

"I can tell you're uncomfortable and I don't want to make you do something you aren't comfortable with doing. If you want to tell me at a later date, that's fine. If you choose not to tell me at all, I understand. That's your choice to make.", Sakura explained with a wink and a shrug. She had no idea what possessed her to _wink_ at Hidan, but it was too late to take it back now.

"You're one hell of a woman, you know that?", Hidan chuckled, shooting Sakura a small smirk.

"I know now.", Sakura shot back with a smirk of her own. "Well, now that you guys are here, how about some lunch? I was just about to take a break anyways so I've got a little over an hour to kill."

"I could eat.", Sasori shrugged. He was willing to do whatever he had to to make sure that Hidan didn't royally screw up his chances with the one woman who could put up with his emotional retardation. He lifted himself gracefully off the chair he was sitting in and offered Deidara a hand up.

"I thought you'd never ask, yeah!", Deidara cheered, enthusiastically grabbing the love of his life's hand and hoisting himself into a standing position. Once he was steady on his feet, he turned his attention to Hidan, hoping that he'd agree to go out to lunch with his potential soul mate. His one visible blue eye bore into Hidan's, silently begging him to agree. He heard the older man groan softly, he knew he had one this battle.

"Yeah, I guess there isn't anything wrong with all of us going out and getting some damn food.", Hidan sighed in defeat. The moment he heard his blond-haired companion cheer with joy, he instantly regretted his decision. But then again, it did give him more time with Sakura and more time to get to know her better. Maybe going out wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Great, I hate eating alone on my breaks. I always feel like I'm being watched or something, it's honestly kind of creepy. Like I can feel their eyes boring into the back of my head. I'm cringing just thinking about it", Sakura cringed before sighing with relief. She wasn't joking with them either, she really did feel like she was being watched most of the time. What bothered her more than anything though was the fact that she could never find the person who was watching her.

"You don't have to worry about a thing, Sakura, yeah. We'll keep all the creepers away!", Deidara stated firmly. The thought of anyone potentially stalking the poor girl made his stomach turn, and if the murderous look in Hidan's eyes was any indication, he didn't seem to be the only one bothered by her admission. He saw Sasori nod in agreement out of the corner of his eye and shot his soul mate a grateful look.

"Thanks, Deidara, that makes me feel a little better. Just let me put my apron in the back and grab my keys and we can go.", Sakura grinned before turning on her heel and heading back into the kitchen. She made quick work of hanging up her apron and grabbed her keys out of her locker before rushing back to the front of the store. She gestured for the three men to follow her and held the front door to the bakery open for them. Once they were all out she locked the door behind her and she began to lead them down the street towards the little diner that she frequented for lunch.

Hidan, Sasori, and Deidara followed closely behind her as she led them down the street, all three of them unconsciously watching for anybody that seemed to be staring at Sakura as they made their way down the street. Deidara hadn't been joking when he had assured her that they would watch out for her. When he made a promise, he made sure to keep it. That was just the kind of man that he was.

"Thanks again for this guys, like I said, eating alone everyday gets kind of lonely and always feeling like you're being watched gets kind of creepy.", Sakura spoke up softly, tilting her head back to shoot the boys behind her a small smile. When all three returned her smile, she turned her head back and continued to lead them down the street.

Little did they all know, they were all being watched from afar by a man whose jealousy was hitting an all-time high.

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 **Finally have this chapter done! Again, I am soooooooo sorry that this took so long to post. A lot of things came up and I just haven't been able to focus a whole lot lately. Early this month I found out that a former coworker of mine lost her fight with cancer so I was a little out of sorts for awhile. And before that I found out that apparently, I'm slowly going blind and could go blind in a few years, isn't that just the best news an author wants to hear?! I'm not going to think too much into that though, I will continue writing until that day comes! If it ever does, mind you. Anyways, I'll quit ranting about my personal life.**

 **Anyways!**

 **If you enjoyed, please leave a review, follow, and favorite!**

 **Who do you think if stalking poor Sakura? I want to hear some opinions!**

 **Next story to update will be Don't Leave Me!**

 **Until Next Time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**First off, I'd just like to say that I am SO SORRY that I haven't updated any of my stories lately. A lot of drama is going on in my personal life but I will not bore you with the details. That isn't why you're here! You're here for some Hidan and Sakura love! I literally sat and typed this all day just so I could give those of you who have been following this story some kind of update. I hope it was worth the wait. I will be putting in a lot more effort to get my stories updated more often. I can't promise that it will be as often as it used to be, but I will be trying my hardest to get out an update more often. Hopefully this chapter does not disappoint. I kinda missed you guys, you know that?**

 **Anyway!**

 **I do not own Naruto or its characters, just the plot to this story.**

 **If you enjoyed, please leave a review, favorite, and follow!**

 **S Lyubov'yu,**

 **Casper!**

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 _Previously on Blossoming Prayers;_

 _Hidan, Sasori, and Deidara followed closely behind her as she led them down the street, all three of them unconsciously watching for anybody that seemed to be staring at Sakura as they made their way down the street. Deidara hadn't been joking when he had assured her that they would watch out for her. When he made a promise, he made sure to keep it. That was just the kind of man that he was._

" _Thanks again for this guys, like I said, eating alone everyday gets kind of lonely and always feeling like you're being watched gets kind of creepy.", Sakura spoke up softly, tilting her head back to shoot the boys behind her a small smile. When all three returned her smile, she turned her head back and continued to lead them down the street._

 _Little did they all know, they were all being watched from afar by a man whose jealousy was hitting an all-time high._

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As the diner they had agreed to eat at came into view, Sakura couldn't help the small shiver that made its way down her spine; she already had a feeling that she was being watched. She didn't know who was always following her around in the shadows, but it was really starting to grind on her last nerve. She didn't even know why this person was following her around. She supposed it wouldn't be so bad this time around though. After all, she had three tough looking men with her today. Well, one tough looking man. Hidan clearly being the tough one. She didn't think it would be possible for anyone to be afraid of a red headed male who has only and inch or two taller than herself.

And she was only five foot three, not very scary.

She was pretty sure Deidara not being intimidating was kind of a given. She barely knew the trio but she felt as if she had known them her entire life. She didn't know why, but she wasn't going to question in. Especially since food was going to be involved and she wasn't about to pass up having some company during her meal. She couldn't fight the small smile that spread across her lips when the bubbly blond behind her came around from behind and pulled the door to the diner open for her.

It seemed that even in her generation, chivalry wasn't quite dead yet. She heard Hidan snort from behind her and shot him a small smirk. She couldn't tell if he was snorting at his blond friend's antics or at the fact that he knew they were being watched. When he shrugged his shoulders and signaled for her to head into the diner, she turned back towards Deidara and shot him another smile before they made their way inside.

The chose a booth big enough for the four of them and took a seat. Sakura quickly claimed one of the window seats and jumped slightly when she felt another body impact her own. She slowly turned her head only to find that Hidan had been pushed into the booth next to her by their friends, the couple's eyes were both shining with amusement.

' _I don't know what it is, but those two are up to something. And seriously, how can Deidara's hair look so goddamn silky smooth?! Okay, Sak, you really need to stop questioning the silkiness of your new friend's hair, even if you really, really want to run your hands through it and braid the hell out of it. Dammit, I said stop!",_ she thoughts frantically, completely unaware that her three friends were staring at her as if she had totally lost her mind.

"Uh, Sakura, you okay, yeah?", Deidara asked, a perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised in question. He had no idea what had just happened, one moment she was perfectly startled by Hidan's body pressing against her own, and the next she looked like World War Three had begun inside her head. He had to admit, her rapidly changing facial expressions were nothing short than priceless. But that was beside the point, at least, it kind of was.

"You looked like you were having a stroke, are you ill?", Sasori spoke up next, his smooth voice was floating across their table.

Sakura hadn't even noticed that the soul mate couple had taken their seats during her little brain spaz.

"Uh, yeah, I'm good. Sorry about that, I got a little lost in my own thoughts.", she laughed nervously. She removed her gaze from the couple across from her and looked over at the man who was causing her more inner debates than Deidara's obvious beauty regime. She knew that there was something more than friendship between her and the silver haired foul-mouth, but she couldn't quite place what it was. She chalked it all up to it being way too early to know for sure. But from the smug looks that Deidara and Sasori were giving her, it seemed that they knew something that she didn't. She'd get the answers out of them one way or another, even if she had to threaten the blondes hair.

He'd never admitted it, but she knew that Deidara would melt into a puddle of goo if she threatened to harm his hair in any way.

"You're awfully quite, Hidan. Something on your mind, yeah?", Deidara piped up, a teasing lilt lacing his voice. He couldn't help but tease the silver haired man, he was making it way too way to do so.

"I'm fine, you idiot.", the silver haired male snapped. In truth, he was far from okay. He didn't want to believe that there really was a chance that the pink haired beauty next to him could really be his soul mate. She was the embodiment of all things good, save for that inhuman strength she seemed to possess. Seriously, how could a woman that tiny be so damn strong. It made absolutely no sense, but at the same time, it made perfect sense in his eyes.

"So, uh, what do you guys want? My treat.", Sakura asked, her eyes never leaving the couple in front of her. She knew that they were up to something, but what they were up to was a totally mystery. She enjoyed a good mystery, but she didn't really feel like being involved in one. She had a feeling that it would be nearly impossible to get Sasori to spill his guts and tell her what was going on. Her best bet would probably be Deidara, but she had a feeling that he might not give up the information she wanted so easily either. But that wasn't going to stop her from trying. She made a mental note to corner the blond later and pry the information out of him.

"You sure you want to do that, Sakura? You're offering to feed three full grown men and I'm sure you know that we tend to eat quite a bit.", Sasori pointed out with a raised eyebrow. He knew the girl was just trying to be polite, but he didn't want to eat up her entire wallet. Granted, he was more concerned about Hidan and Deidara's own eating habits than his own.

"Trust me, it's fine. I already have all my bills paid this month and it's only me at home. Don't worry about it. You three were nice enough to join me for lunch, what kind of person would I be if I expected you three to pay?", Sakura replied with a small smile. She had a feeling that at least one of them would protest to her offering but it didn't hurt to try. It felt nice to have someone to hang out with outside of work. Sure, she had Naruto, but it just wasn't the same. He was the only person that she still talked to from her childhood, and even then, it just wasn't the same. She was getting older and she needed more than just one person in her life that she talked to on a regular basis. If you could count talking to your coworker during work as socializing, that is.

"If you're absolutely sure, yeah. I won't stop you, but you should really think about your offer, Sakura...Hidan's stomach is like a black hole.", Deidara explained with a smirk, completely ignoring the dirty look that the silver haired man shot his way. He wasn't lying either, Hidan had gotten them banned from all you can eat buffets in the past. And the bastard hadn't gained a single ounce.

"You should know that we're now about to let you pay, Pinky. The last time someone offered to pay for our meals, they totally regretted it after they paid the bill. So we'll be taking care of the bill and I don't want to hear you bitch about it, got me?", Hidan smirked. He couldn't help but admire her generosity, but he still wasn't about to let her empty her wallet just because they had accepted her offer of lunch.

 _'If that weasel bastard or Kakazu found out we let Pinky pay for our meals they'd murder our asses so damn quick'_ , Hidan thought with a small shudder.

"You okay, Hidan? You shuddered.", Sakura asked, turning her head to look at the man next to her.

"Just fucking peachy, Pinky. Now order your food and tell us about this mystery stalker of yours. You ever seen his face or anything?", Hidan replied, shooting the girl next to him a look that clearly told her not to argue with him.

"Fine, you win. Ass.", Sakura grumbled with a small pout.

 _'She's so fucking adorable when she pouts, oh my Kami',_ All three men thought simultaneously, all three pairs of eye widening slightly.

"The only thing I know is that it's a male and that he has black, spikey hair. Kind of reminds me of a ducks ass, to be completely honest. I've only caught a glimpse of him once or twice but the minute I turn around and start to stand up, he takes off like a bat out of hell.", Sakura explained with a small sigh, completely unaware of the thoughts going through the three males' minds.

All three men mulled over the small amount of information that Sakura supplied them with, checking to see if her small description rang any bells. Just as Deidara was about to open his mouth and tell the others that he thought he knew who the potential creeper was, the waiter stopped at their table.

"Sorry about the wait, what can I get for you on this fine afternoon?", he asked with false cheeriness, it was quite clear that the man despised his job.

"Cheeseburger with fries and a coke.", Hidan rambled off without even glancing at the waiter, his mind still searching for a name to fit the stalkers description.

"Same for me.", Sasori said calmly.

"Same." Deidara grumbled, completely annoyed that he had been interrupted.

"I guess I'll just have what their having.", Sakura snickered, she figured that you could never go wrong with the classics.

After writing down the four identical orders, the waiter turned on his heel and left the table.

"You look like you're going to explode, Deidara, what were you about to say?", Sakura asked.

"I think I know who is following you around outside of work, Sakura.", the blond replied with a sigh of annoyance, it was the last person in the world that he wanted to deal with, but he could only think of one person whose hair resembled a ducks ass. It seemed as if everybody made that connection with the male in question.

"Who do you think it is, Dei?", Sasori asked, turning his head, focusing his gaze on his soul mate.

"Who do you think the little fucker is, blondie? Spit it out already!", Hidan snapped, his patience was finally starting to wear thin.

"I think the bastard that's following Sakura around is Sasuke Uchiha.", Deidara groaned.

Silence seemed to take over the tabled, the silence was quickly broken by the sound of a head connecting with the table.

Three sets of eyes turned to take in the sight of their new pink haired friend resting her head against the tables surface, angrily mumbling into its surface.

"Uh, you okay there, Pinky?", Hidan asked carefully, her smacking her head against the table wasn't exactly the reaction he or the others had been expecting.

"Just fucking peachy.", she replied sarcastically into the tables surface. In truth, she wasn't even close to being okay. She was pretty sure her new friends knew she was lying, but this was the last person she wanted to deal with.

 _'I thought I was done dealing with that duck ass haired motherfucker. The Gods truly hate me, I swear to every holy deity that fucking exists.',_ Sakura thought with a mental groan. She thought she had finally rid herself of him when she had moved into her house after her parents died.

Apparently she had been dead wrong.

Before anybody could question her reaction further, the waiter came back with their food.

Needless to say, lunch was a silent affaire, everybody had been too caught up in their own thoughts to even start up a conversation.

* * *

Once the bill was paid, by Hidan, the group of four left the diner and silently made their way back towards the bakery. Three sets of eyes constantly scanned the area around them, silently hoping that they would spot Sasuke and have a chance to put an end to his little game of Cat and Mouse. Unfortunately for them, they had no such luck.

Sakura pushed the door of the bakery open with a sigh, her thoughts swimming almost violently in her head. Somehow, she wished that she hadn't found out the name of the person who was probably stalking her when she wasn't at work. She knew that knowing who it was should have brought her some comfort, but more than anything, it made her want to scream into the heavens and curse the Gods that lived within them.

Turning to her new friends, Sakura smiled. "Thanks for coming out with me, guys. Sorry it ended up not being as happy as we would have hoped. We'll have to try this whole lunch thing again sometime. If you want to, that is."

"Of course we want to go out with you again, Sakura", Deidara cried, jumping towards the short girl and gathered her in his arms for a bear hug. He couldn't help himself, she was just so goddamn cute!

"I wouldn't be against the idea of going out with you again, just give us a time and a place. Or just call or text one of us to set something up.", Sasori smirked, tucking a small piece of paper into her pocket since her arms were currently pinned to her sides by his overly happy soul mate.

"Just let us know when you're free, Pinky.", Hidan nodded. In truth, he couldn't wait for the next time he got to see the rose haired girl. The day hadn't been as happy as he would have hoped, but he still had a great time since she had been there. He still wasn't completely convinced that she was really his soul mate, but he knew that something was there. He decided that he would probably get a better idea if she was his soul mate or not if he hung out with her without his other friends around. He'd just have to wait for her to text him to set something up, he didn't want to come on too strong and ask her for her number straight out.

 _'Holy shit, I'm going soft. Maybe this girl really is the one for me.',_ he thought with an inward sigh, it just seemed too good to be true. He didn't exactly have the greatest track record with people and he was sure that the moment Sakura found out about his past she would run away from him and refuse to be anywhere near him ever again. Just the mere thought of her rejecting him made his heart ache, and he didn't know why it bothered him so much.

"Once I find some free time I will be sure to let you guys know. But until then, feel free to stop into the shop whenever, I'm sure I could spare a treat or two whenever you guys drop by.", she replied with a small wink. She had just met them and she already felt as if he had known them her entire life. She found a lot of comfort in that fact, but at the same time, it worried her. She had been alone for along time and she didn't know if she could bare to be alone in the world again. Sure, she had Naruto, but it just wasn't the same. The three men standing in the lobby of the bakery made her feel almost as if she had a home again, if that made any sense.

"Alright, Sakura. We better head back but don't hesitate to call on any of us if you think your unwanted follower shows up or if you feel like something is off.", Sasori commanded, when Sakura nodded her head in understanding, he returned her nod and made his way back outside.

"Until next time, Sakura!", Deidara cheered before following his lover out of the building, leaving Hidan alone with the rose haired woman. He knew that the silver haired man had been waiting for his chance to be alone with her, if only for a moment. And being the romantic that he secretly was, Deidara gave them their moment alone.

Sakura and Hidan watched as their friends exited the building before turning and facing each other, their eyes locking and their breath stilling. Neither of them understood the connection that seemed to be growing unconsciously between them, but neither of them were about to deny that they liked the feeling.

"So, I guess I should be letting you get back to work, huh? I'll try and see what I can do about your little problem, I'm sure the Puppet Fucker already has something in mind but I'll still see what I can do. Just make sure you call one of us if you think something is amiss, alright? Don't make us fucking worry when we leave, alright?", Hidan instructed, not even realizing that he was rambling or fussing over her safety.

He was probably her soul mate dammit, not her fucking mother!

"Don't worry about a thing, Hidan. I'm a big girl, if anything happens I'll try to handle it on my own first but if I can't handle it alone, you'll be the first person I call, alright?", Sakura replied with a small smile. It felt good to know that people were looking out for her and her wellbeing. She knew that they had ideas as to how to take care of her little problem, but little did they know that she had her own ideas as well. She was hoping that once they had left that she would be able to take care of this problem once and for all. And if her plan didn't work, then she would leave her boys to handle it in any way they saw fit.

 _'Wait, my boys? Good job you three, you wormed your way into my heart without me even realizing it. Somehow, the thought of being stuck with the three of them doesn't bother me. Actually, it's pretty comforting to know that they care enough about me to try to take care of this for me without me asking. And not because they pity me either, but because they actually care about my wellbeing.'_

"Be sure you do that, I expect you to text all three of us once your shift is done and once you get home so we know you made it home okay.", Hidan demanded with a small smirk. He had no doubt that that the tiny woman could handle herself if something were to happen, but that didn't stop him from worrying.

Yep, he was definitely fussing over her like a mother hen.

"Yes, mother. Now get out of here, something tells me that Sasori doesn't enjoy waiting. I'll text all three of you once my shift is over and let you know when I've made it home.", Sakura agreed with a small nod. She wasn't about to call him out on his coddling, the small embarrassed blush on his cheeks was enough to know that he had realized it too.

"Good. See ya, Pinky!", Hidan replied with a small wave before exiting the building to meet up with his friends.

* * *

Once the bakery was silent once more, Sakura made her way back into the kitchen and pulled out her phone. She had hoped that she wouldn't ever have to call the person she was about to call, but she was left with little choice. With an aggravated sigh, she scrolled down to the name she was looking for and hit call, raising her phone to her ear while she waited for the person to pick up. After two rings, a voice on the other line answered.

 _"Hello? Sakura? I wasn't expecting to hear from you anytime soon. Is something wrong?"_

"Itachi...he's back."

 _"What do you mean he's back? The restraining order against him should still be in effect. How do you know that it's him?"_

"How many people do we know that have hair that resembles a ducks ass?"

 _"Good point...give me a couple days. I'm coming to town. Are you still working at that bakery on Main?"_

"Yes, but you don't have to come to town, Itachi. I have a few friends helping me with this. I know it's hard as hell for you to get time off of work and I don't want you to get in trouble. Maybe talk to your dad and see if he can't find a way to get Sasuke out of the city? I finally have my life on track and I'm happy, I don't want something like this to ruin what I have worked so hard to accomplish."

 _"If that is what you want, Sakura, I will abide by your wishes. But you must promise me that you will not confront my brother alone, you know he isn't stable. I will contact my father and see what he can do to help you out. Until then, I want you to call or text me every time you see him so I can log it for later. Can you do that for me, Sakura?"_

"Of course I can do that, Itachi. Thanks so much for helping me out with this, I didn't know who else to call. I figured calling you would be the smartest idea. I still can't believe that your brother hasn't given up his delusion that I'm his soul mate. He knows in his heart that it isn't me, why doesn't he just give up?"

 _"Because my brother is a fool, Sakura. He doesn't understand that the Fates meant you for another. You've just turned eighteen today and I am sure that you know that he is not the one for you."_

"Trust me, I know all too well that he isn't the one for me. But that isn't the point here. But I need to get back to work. Call me when you know something new, will you? And for Gods sake, call me once and awhile to check in, idiot. I may have issues with your brother but you're like family. Ass."

 _"I will be sure to call you when I have more information. And I will make you to call you more often to check in with you. I expect you to tell me all about these new friends of yours next time I call. Until next time, Sakura. Good bye."_

The line went dead and Sakura was left staring at her phone, sighing softly. She hadn't talked to Itachi in a few months and it seemed that he was just as shocked as she was that Sasuke was stalking her yet again. She thought that she had closed that chapter of her life for good, but it seemed that she was wrong. With another sigh, she slipped her phone back into her pocket and turned to grab her apron. She secured it around her waist and looked around the kitchen.

"Fucks sake, can I catch a break just this once? Is it so wrong for me to happy for once?", she muttered miserably.

She didn't know what to do, she was alone in the bakery and her frustration over the entire situation was finally starting to get to her. So she did the only thing she could think of to do.

She threw her head back and screamed her frustrations to the ceiling above, silently hoping that nobody outside the building heard her and thought she was dying where she stood.

* * *

 **Okay, so that ended up being a lot longer than I had been expecting. Not that that's a bad thing at all, but still. So Sasuke is the stalker and it looks like this isn't the first time that this has happened to poor Sakura.**

 **Hidan is secretly a mother hen, who knew?**

 **Again, I am so sorry that this took so long for me to get out. I am hoping that from now on that I will have more time to pump out more chapters. I hope that the wait for this chapter was worth it, if not, again I am SORRY!**

 **Feel free to leave a review, favorite, and follow if you enjoyed, I'd love to hear your opinions.!**

 **Until Next Time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**All aboard the feels train! We are exiting the station right after this awkward authors note! Lot of emotional turmoil and some lovely backstory is on the horizon! I have been working on this chapter for the last few hours so I could get it posted tonight! I won't even lie, I teared up a little while writing this! My inner romantic was swooning at the turmoil and acceptance in this chapter! Hopefully you enjoy!**

 **Anyway!**

 **I do not own Naruto or its character, just the plot to this story!**

 **If you enjoyed, please leave a review, favorite, and follow!**

 **S Lyubov'yu,**

 **Casper!**

* * *

 _ **Previously;**_

 _"Because my brother is a fool, Sakura. He doesn't understand that the Fates meant you for another. You've just turned eighteen today and I am sure that you know that he is not the one for you."_

"Trust me, I know all too well that he isn't the one for me. But that isn't the point here. But I need to get back to work. Call me when you know something new, will you? And for Gods sake, call me once and awhile to check in, idiot. I may have issues with your brother but you're like family. Ass."

 _"I will be sure to call you when I have more information. And I will make you to call you more often to check in with you. I expect you to tell me all about these new friends of yours next time I call. Until next time, Sakura. Good bye."_

The line went dead and Sakura was left staring at her phone, sighing softly. She hadn't talked to Itachi in a few months and it seemed that he was just as shocked as she was that Sasuke was stalking her yet again. She thought that she had closed that chapter of her life for good, but it seemed that she was wrong. With another sigh, she slipped her phone back into her pocket and turned to grab her apron. She secured it around her waist and looked around the kitchen.

"Fucks sake, can I catch a break just this once? Is it so wrong for me to happy for once?", she muttered miserably.

She didn't know what to do, she was alone in the bakery and her frustration over the entire situation was finally starting to get to her. So she did the only thing she could think of to do.

She threw her head back and screamed her frustrations to the ceiling above, silently hoping that nobody outside the building heard her and thought she was dying where she stood.

* * *

It had been little over two weeks since Sakura had contacted Itachi and she was still yet to hear back from him. Since her unexpected lunch date with Hidan, Deidara, and Sasori, she had not felt the creeping feeling of being watched. She didn't know if Itachi had made contact with his younger brother or if him seeing her with three other males had scared him off. Either way, she was grateful that she didn't have to worry about going out alone anymore. Granted, since her lunch date, she hadn't gone much of anywhere without one of her newfound friend's accompanying her. More often than not, it was Deidara that tended to go with her almost everywhere. Over the short period that she had known him, she had grown almost attached to the bubbly blonde.

Checking her phone once more to make sure Itachi hadn't texted her within the last thirty seconds, Sakura set her phone on the coffee table in front of her couch. She didn't claim to be the most patient person in the world, but she was sick of waiting around for answers. She wanted more than anything to call the older Uchiha and demand some form of an update out of him but refrained. She knew that he was a busy man and had other obligations that he had to intend to. She would just have to wait and be patient. Even if she really, really didn't want to. She was broken out of her thoughts of self pity when she heard her phone start to ring. She quickly fished her phone off the table once again and looked at the caller ID, smirking when the recent selfie she had taken with Deidara popped up on the screen. She couldn't help but giggle every time she saw the picture, her and Deidara were both making goofy faces while Hidan was in the background giving Sasori the finger an unknown reason.

With one last giggle, she swiped her phone to answer the call.

"Yes, Deidara?", she giggled into the phone, current broody mood completely forgotten. One thing she had noticed since she had formed the friendship with the bombshell blonde was that it was nearly impossible _not_ to smile when you were either talking to him or near him.

 _"Wanted to know if you wanted to come chill with all of us at our buddy Kakazu's, yeah!"_ , came Deidara's enthusiastic response.

"Sure, I'm not doing anything even remotely eventful at home, it would be nice to get out of here for a little while.", she responded with a small smile, though he couldn't see her smile, he could always tell when she was.

 _"Awesome, yeah! Kakazu has been wanting to meet you since you gave Hidan all those free goodies when you two met",_ he snickered over the line.

"Say, is he there with you right now? Kakazu I mean."

 _"Uh, yeah, why?"_ , he asked, confusion lacing his voice.

"Put me on speaker for a minute would you?", she asked sweetly.

 _"Babe, I know you're a flower and a baker...but that was repulsively sweet. Hold up, yeah. You're on speaker, Sakura."_

"Oi, Kakazu! Question!", Sakura called out through her phone.

 _"What?",_ came the gruff, almost bored response.

"Want me to bring you baked goods fresh from my kitchen since I'm coming over?", she asked, her smirk completely evident in her voice.

 _"You going to make me pay for them, kid?"_

"Nope, free of charge. And I'll tell you right now, my homemade stuff is even better than the stuff at the shop", she replied, mentally stroking her ego.

 _"Hidan! Go get the girl!",_ she heard Kakazu bark, she couldn't help but laugh when she heard something connect with skin and a yelp of pain laced with an impressive array of curse words.

"I'll see you when you get here, Hidan! I'll text you my address!", she called through the phone before she hung up the phone, switching over to her texting app to send Hidan her address. Once the text was sent, Sakura pulled herself lazily off of her sofa and made her way into her bedroom to change. If she was going to hang out with the guys, she wasn't going out in sweats and a baggy shirt. She padded up to her closet and threw open the doors with gusto. She fished out an _Akatsuki_ band shirt and tossed it onto her bed before pulling out a pair of dark purple skinny jeans. After quickly throwing on her clothes, she tied her waist length pink hair back into a spiky pony tail. When she was younger, she had thought that the spikiness was because of her short hair, but had quickly found out that it was always like that when she had decided to grow it out. Once she was dressed and ready to go, she made her way back out of her room and towards the kitchen.

She flicked on the light switch in the kitchen and got to work packaging the baked goods that she had made out of boredom the day before and earlier that morning. She had gotten lucky and was given a few days off from the bakery and, at first, it had been a blessing. But now that a day and a half had passed, she was completely bored out of her mind. She knew that her boys had their own lives and didn't want to bother them, but when Deidara had called and asked her to hang out, she wasn't about to say no. She stopped packaging all the baked goods when she heard a knock on her door. She set down the box she had been packing up and walked out of her kitchen, through her living room, and towards the front door. She looked through the peephole and smirked when she saw Hidan waiting outside her door impatiently. She decided that she wanted to mess with him just out of spite.

"Who is it?", she asked innocently through the door.

"Who else would it be, Pinky? Open the damn door, would you? It's damn cold.", came Hidan's reply.

"Hidan? I don't recall knowing any Hidan's.", she snickered.

"Sakura, I know it's you. Open the damn door before Kakazu calls me and threatens to dismember me for not bringing him some diabetes."

"Fine, kill joy.", she pouted as she opened the door and gestured for him to come in.

"You've never been threatened by the bastard, trust me, I'm saving both of our asses.", he smirked as he followed her through her house and into the kitchen, completely unable to keep his eyes off of the sway of her hips as she walked. He knew that he at least had an attraction towards her, but had absolutely no idea if she held the same attraction towards himself. Usually, he would have just flat out asked her, but this was different.

This was his soul mate.

He was not about to fuck this up and potentially make her despise him.

"Well, I guess I should thank you, my hero.", she replied, turning around once they were in the kitchen. She gestured for him to take a seat at the island in the middle of her kitchen. "I still have a few more baked goods to pack up since you and the other two are black holes. I can only imagine how much Kakazu eats, he sounded like a big ass dude."

"Trust me, everything you are bringing isn't going to last the night. And you're right, Kakazu's fucking huge. Dude is like a foot taller than me.", Hidan confirmed as he hoisted himself up onto the island, completely ignoring the glare Sakura shot him.

"I meant sit in a chair, ass.", she snorted as she closed the top of the fifth box of baked goods that she had packed for her trip to Kakazu's.

"Well, I figured since I'm your hero and all, I should get the honor of sitting on your counter. Unless you plan to reward me in some other way.", he smirked back at her. He was totally flirting with her, but he had no idea how she was going to respond to it. Would she ignore it? Would she flat out reject him? Would she throw his ass in whatever zone she had tossed Deidara in?!

 _'Please God, don't make me suffer that fucking fate.'_

"Well, what do you want as a reward, Mr Hero?", she shot back, completely unaware of his mental turmoil of becoming one with the Deidara zone.

Whatever the fuck that really entailed was a complete mystery.

"Might want to retract that question before I think you're fucking serious, Pinky.", Hidan warned with a small sigh. He had a feeling that all of this was way too good to be true. Sure, she was accepting of his flirting, but how far was she willing to take it? Friend's mock flirt all the time to mess with each other, he didn't know if he could handle such a rejection. Not again.

"You should know by now that I don't say things that I don't mean, Pretty Boy.", she chuckled, turning around to lean against the counter so she could see him. She instantly noticed that he looked like he was almost having some sort of war within himself. Almost like he was trying to figure out if what she was saying was really the truth or if she was just messing with him. She wasn't going to deny that she was attracted to him, but she didn't know his feelings. If he wanted to flirt with her, who was she to deny that she enjoyed it.

"You sure, Pink?", he asked, he just had to be sure that she was serious. He had dealt with enough rejection in his life, he didn't know if his heart could take being rejected again. Especially over something as small as flirting ruining a very promising friendship with the pink haired baker.

"Geez, Hidan. You're starting to make me think you're going to ask me for one of my kidney's or something. Yes, I'm sure. Lay in on me.", she assured, deciding that assuring him would probably be the safest route to take. She didn't claim to know a whole lot about Hidan but she could clearly see a broken heart when she saw one. He may have been good at hiding his emotions with his actions and facial expressions, but just like her, his eyes betrayed him every time.

"If you say so, Pinky. What I want you to do is to tell me something. What is your view on the soul mate principal?", he asked with a smirk, trying as hard as he could to hide his discomfort.

"Really? You want to know about that? That's an easy one. For as long as I could remember, I had never really thought about it too much, until recently, that is. When I was growing up, I always watched the way that my parent's interacted and hoped that one day that I would have something like that when I grew up. I was only a child and didn't truly understand the whole soul mate thing. Even now, at eighteen, I still don't know a whole lot about it. But recently I've taken a lot of interest in it and have been researching it a lot lately. I think the idea of the Fate's choosing a single person that is completely perfect for us is almost romantic in a way. What about you?", she explained with a shrug, not understanding why he had been so curious on her views.

"You really want to know my views on the Soul Mate Principal? Alright, I'll tell you. I think that a lot of the time that the Fate's are damn wrong. I don't know what your childhood was like with your parents, but I'm assuming by that smile on your face that they were pretty damn awesome. My parents never should have gotten together, much less had me or my sister. They were never meant to be parents. I've seen other couples that were destined to be together and seen their relationships based on nothing but deception and fucking lies. The only thing I can do is hope that my chosen Soul Mate isn't like that. But, deep down, I think she's completely perfect for me.", Hidan explained with a sigh. It was true, his parents had been soul mates and they had been some of the shittiest people he had ever had the displeasure of dealing with. He just hoped that his views wouldn't scare her off, but he wasn't about to blindly agree with her just because she was supposedly his soul mate.

"I can completely agree with you, Hidan. Just because my parents were happy together doesn't mean that every soul mated pair is. I've seen my own fair share of shitty couples brought together because they were soul mates. I'm sorry that your parents weren't the greatest people in the world but if I ever hear you say you hadn't been born again, I'll break that island you're sitting on over your head. I'm happy you're here, can't that be enough? That someone is happy that you were born? I'm sure that Deidara, Sasori, and even Kakazu would agree with me.", she exclaimed. She could hardly stomp down her sudden urge to leap onto the island and embrace that silver haired man currently sitting on her counter.

"I don't doubt that you would, but it's the truth. My sister and I probably would have been better off if they had given us up, at least then we wouldn't have had to witness them slowly killing themselves with the shit they were using. But in all honesty, after meeting Sasori and Deidara, they kind of renewed some hope in me. That maybe one day I'll be as happy as they are. You know, when they aren't trying to fucking kill each other, you know?", Hidan replied calmly. In all honesty, he could easily see himself completely happy with himself if he really did end up with Sakura in the end. In the short time that he had known her, she had shown him that no matter what situation he found himself in, she would always be there to listen. She would always be there to pick him back up if he fell down along the way.

As the Fate's were his witness, he would do everything in his power to keep her happy and smiling.

"I never knew you had a sister, the other two never mentioned her before. If she's anything like you, I'd like to meet her someday. And I am serious, if I ever hear you talking down about yourself again, I'll make you regret it. You are one of the most honest and outspoken person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. In the short time that I have known you, not once have I ever regretted meeting you. I know as well as you do that you felt something change that day. I don't know what it was, but something happened and I want to know exactly what it is. Meeting you and the boys have finally given me something to look forward to everyday. I look forward to seeing you guys when you come into the bakery, I look forward to hanging out with you guys, hell, I look forward to pulling Sasori away from my goddamn cookie dough when I'm trying to work. So you don't get to question your existence! Because fucking dammit I need you guys around!", Sakura cried, silent tears running down her cheeks in small rivers. She would make him understand. She would make him truly see how special he truly was.

To say Hidan was stunned would be an understatement. Never in his twenty years of life did he ever expect someone to feel so strongly about his existence. Nobody had ever stood their ground and told them just how much they liked having him around. Nobody had ever made him truly see how fortunate he was to have such wonderful people in his life. Hell, nobody had ever cried for him before. Silently, he hopped down from his position from the counter and gathered the crying woman in his arms, bringing her as close as he possibly could.

"Nobody has ever cried for me before. I can count on one fucking hand how many people have shown me kindness like this. I didn't mean for you to cry for me, I never wanted to make you cry. You aren't the only one who looks forward to the get together's at the bakery. All of us look forward to them. In the short time that we have known you, you've given us a light in the darkness. Sasori actually smiles now. Deidara is finally starting to open up to the people he trusts, he hasn't always been this happy. And me, I can finally see that the world isn't just black and fucking white. You've shown all three of us in such a short time that our lives truly have meaning. What you said was true, that day we met, I felt it too. I was so damn scared of what it was that I ran all the way back to Kakazu's and demanded answers from Sasori. It was because of him, Dei, and Kakazu that I came back that day. I don't think I could thank them enough for making me pull my head out of my ass and make me admit to myself that I had finally found my Soul Mate.", Hidan spoke softly into her hair, rubbing slow, soothing circles into her back.

"So, you came to that conclusion too, huh? I had a feeling from the moment that we met that I'd be stuck with you and the boys. I don't think I would have it any other way. I couldn't ask for a better soul mate or better friends. Speaking of which, remind me to hug Sasori later. I owe him a lot for making you man up and accept that you had found your soul mate and that I had found mine. You three aren't the only ones that have changed. I actually look forward to going to work now, I actually want to get out of bed in the morning. I don't worry about the past anymore. I'm finally ready to get my shit together and live my life. Just as my parents would have wanted me to do.", Sakura confided into Hidan's chest.

She knew the moment was emotional and she was so deep in her feels but she couldn't help but notice that the chest she was currently blubbering into was hard as a rock and felt like it had been chiseled by the Fates.

"Yeah, the moment that I told Sasori and Deidara that I thought I had found my soul mate, they dragged me kicking and screaming back to your shop. Hence why you found us in some weird ass dog pile in the middle of the lobby.", Hidan chuckled softly. He couldn't deny it, having Sakura pressed against him in an embrace just felt _right._ Never before had he felt so at home.

"Totally need to remember to thank them when we get to Kakazu's. I think I'm done crying now but I really don't want to move.", she said with an embarrassed blush, when she heard him laugh, she buried her head further into his chest.

"And why don't you want to move, hmm?", he asked with a smirk.

"You're warm as hell and I'm pretty sure your chest was chiseled by the fucking Fates.", she laughed despite her embarrassment.

"We can cuddle back at Kakazu's and thank you for the damn compliment. Now, we better finish packaging these goodies before Deidara starts to worry and demands that a search party is sent to your house.", Hidan advised with a small smirk.

"Agreed. I don't think I want to pay for the repairs for a new front door.", Sakura nodded before pulling away from Hidan and started to quickly package the rest of the goods. Once they were sealed and ready to go, Sakura neatly stacked the boxes in a reusable shopping bag before turning back to her soul mate, and letting him know that she was ready to go.

 _'Soul mate, huh. That's feels just fine with me.',_ Sakura thought with a small smile.

Once Sakura slid into her shoes, they were out the door. Sakura quickly locked her door and ran a few steps to catch up with Hidan as he made his way back towards his car. She quickly deposited the bag of goods in the backseat before climbing into the passenger seat and threw on her seat belt. Once they were both settled in the car, Hidan backed out of her small driveway and they made their way back to Kakazu's.

Both of them not smiling the entire way back. Neither of them could wait to start to truly get to know each other.

This time as Soul Mates rather than friends.

* * *

 **Haha! They've finally admitted that they're soul mates to each other! Bet you didn't see that coming! Or did you? Maybe you did, I have no idea. My talents are few and mind ready isn't one of them. Sadly. Then again, I don't think I'd want to be able to read just anyone's mind. Imagine some of the shit that people think about. Something are better left unknown, if I do say so myself! Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Just what all happened in Hidan's childhood? Where is his sister now? What exactly happened to Sasori and Deidara in their pasts? Will Sakura continue to be their guiding light? Does Kakazu know his soul mate or is he the oldest eighteen year old EVER?**

 **Guess you'll just have to wait until the next chapter to get some of the answers. :)**

 **If you enjoyed, please leave a review, favorite, and follow! It makes my heart soar when I get to hear other people's opinions!**

 **Until Next Time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I am so sorry that this took so long to get out! I've been super busy lately and this chapter was fighting me for quite some time! Plus, I kinda got caught up in writing Life at Sea. Forgive me! Anyway, the chapter is here now and that's what matters, right? Right.**

 **Anyway!**

 **I do not own Naruto or its characters, just the plot to this story.**

 **If you enjoyed, please leave a review, favorite, and follow!**

 **S Lyubov'yu,**

 **Casper!**

* * *

 _Previously;_

 _"Totally need to remember to thank them when we get to Kakazu's. I think I'm done crying now but I really don't want to move.", she said with an embarrassed blush, when she heard him laugh, she buried her head further into his chest._

 _"And why don't you want to move, hmm?", he asked with a smirk._

 _"You're warm as hell and I'm pretty sure your chest was chiseled by the fucking Fates.", she laughed despite her embarrassment._

 _"We can cuddle back at Kakazu's and thank you for the damn compliment. Now, we better finish packaging these goodies before Deidara starts to worry and demands that a search party is sent to your house.", Hidan advised with a small smirk._

 _"Agreed. I don't think I want to pay for the repairs for a new front door.", Sakura nodded before pulling away from Hidan and started to quickly package the rest of the goods. Once they were sealed and ready to go, Sakura neatly stacked the boxes in a reusable shopping bag before turning back to her soul mate, and letting him know that she was ready to go._

 _'Soul mate, huh. That's feels just fine with me.', Sakura thought with a small smile._

 _Once Sakura slid into her shoes, they were out the door. Sakura quickly locked her door and ran a few steps to catch up with Hidan as he made his way back towards his car. She quickly deposited the bag of goods in the backseat before climbing into the passenger seat and threw on her seat belt. Once they were both settled in the car, Hidan backed out of her small driveway and they made their way back to Kakazu's._

 _Both of them not smiling the entire way back. Neither of them could wait to start to truly get to know each other._

 _This time as Soul Mates rather than friends._

* * *

The entire ride back to Kakazu's was spent in companionable silence, both Hidan and Sakura were too caught up in their own thoughts to even attempt at starting a conversation. Both of them were still trying to figure out if they were dreaming or if they had really admitted their connection to each other. Hidan was trying to convince himself that it was indeed real and not something that was too good to be true. While Sakura was trying to figure out what Hidan saw in someone like her. In her eyes, there was nothing really all that remarkable about her. She had no special talents, she wasn't rich, and she didn't exactly have the greatest grip on her sanity as far as she was concerned.

She had emotional baggage, abandonment issues, she just wanted to be loved more than anything. Since her parent's passing, she had spent most of her time mostly alone. Granted, that had changed drastically once she had met Hidan and the boys. But still, she couldn't help but think that the Fate's were messing with her in some way. Not that she would ever admit that out loud.

Hidan's mind was whirling, he had no idea what to think about the fact that he had not only found his soul mate, but that she had actually wanted him to stick around. Just as he had told her, he was used to being left in the dust without a second thought. He had grown up alone with only the comfort of a sister who was no longer around, not that he had told Sakura that part. While he had been growing up, his sister had been the only light within the darkness that he was sure he would have completely fallen into without her there to guide him. Things were going to keep changing and continue to change.

But for some reason, he didn't see a problem with that at all. Sakura was a nice enough girl, not to mention beautiful. And when she looked at him, she saw him for who he was. Not the person that most people assumed he was at first glance. She saw him with all his faults but also saw him for all the positives. She looked beneath his outer image and actually saw him for him.

Hidan stopped at a stop sign and took the time to glance over at the woman next to him from the corner of his eye. She really was a beautiful woman and she had accepted him as his soul mate. As hard as he was trying to, he just couldn't wrap his head around that fact. She had looks, a future, and was the best damn cook he had ever met. And she wanted him! He didn't know whether to giggle like an excited child or to question her sanity. He decided that neither options sounded appealing and took off down the road again once it was clear for him to go.

* * *

When they pulled into the parking lot of Kakazu's apartment building, Sakura swallowed nervously. Aside from her three boys and Naruto, she really didn't socialize well. Nor was she any good at meeting new people. She slowly reached for her door handle and cringed slightly when it creaked open under her weight. She crawled out of the car and opened the door behind her seat and grabbed the back stuffed full of baked goods for her boys. Once she was situated, she waited patiently for Hidan to lead the rest of the way.

"Don't worry about Kakazu, he may be an old bastard, but he won't bite you. Especially since you brought him food, free food at that.", Hidan assured, noticing her discomfort. He supposed that he couldn't really blame her. In the short time that he and the other two had known her, they had all come to realize that she wasn't the most social person. He supposed that he couldn't really blame her, people nowadays were pretty big assholes, if he did say so himself.

"I guess the way to a mans heart truly is through his stomach.", she replied with a small smirk. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. It wasn't like she was meeting a complete stranger after all. This Kakazu person was the best friend of her soul mate. He was also friends with Sasori and Deidara. He couldn't be that bad if her three boys were constantly hanging around him, could he?

"You have no idea how damn true that myth is. Give a man good food and you'll be stuck with him for life.", Hidan replied smoothly before wrapping an arm around Sakura's shoulders and led her up a couple flights of stairs.

"Wait, so does that mean I'm not only stuck with you, but Sasori, Deidara, and Kakazu as well?", she asked, her face a mask of mock horror.

"Damn right you're stuck with us, yeah!", a voice cheered before loud footsteps were heard.

As if on instinct, Sakura unraveled herself from Hidan's grasp and thrusted her bag into his hands. When he looked at her questioningly, she responded by crouching her body and bracing for impact. Before he could verbally ask her what the hell she was doing, a flash of blonde came streaking down the hallway, crashing straight into his soul mate. He watched as Sakura's feet slid back a few inches and was impressed when she didn't fall over when she had been all but tackled by an energetic blonde.

"Well, hello to you too, Dei.", Sakura smirked, wrapping her arms around the blonde currently wrapped around her torso like some sort of demented koala.

"How the hell are you supporting his fat ass right now?", Hidan asked, his eyes widening at the current situation his soul mate was in. His blonde friend had his legs wrapped around her hips and his arms wrapped around her shoulders.

 _'Demonic ass blonde koala thing. How the hell isn't she struggling under his weight? He's a skinny shit but he weighs a ton...plus he's fucking taller than her. Confused Hidan is confused.'_

"I'm a lot stronger than you think, Hidan. And I'm used to this, he greets me like this every time he sees me.", Sakura replied, shrugging her shoulders as best she could with Deidara currently attached to her person.

"Don't be jealous because your woman likes me more.", Deidara teased smugly.

"Deidara, if I come out of this apartment and see that you are wrapped around Sakura like some sort of demented koala, I'll cut you off for a month.", Sasori's voice rang out through the hallway.

"We all know that you wouldn't last a full day, Puppet Boy!", the three friend's currently standing in the hallway called out together.

"They're right you know!", Kakazu shouted from inside the apartment.

"I hate you all...", Sasori snapped, his pout evident in his voice.

"I love you too, Sasori!", Deidara and Sakura cried before the blonde buried his face in his friend's shoulder to attempt to stifle his laughter.

"Yeah, yeah, just get in here you three.", the red head sighed, poking his head out of the door jam, shaking his head slightly when he saw his boyfriend draped unabashedly over their pink haired friend.

"Yes, sir!", Sakura piped up. She attempted to salute the red head but ended up accidentally smacking Deidara upside the head instead. He yelped in pain and gave her a small glare. She just rolled her eyes and bucked her hips, signaling for him to get off of her so she could walk.

Hidan watched as Sakura bucked her hips against Deidara and shook his head with a sigh. Normally, he would have beaten the shit out of any man that had draped themselves over his woman, but this was fucking Deidara. He was pretty sure that the blonde didn't even know what the hell boundaries even were! Still, watching her buck her hips against him was probably one of the most attractive things he'd ever seen. He mentally berated himself for being a pervert.

 _'Deidara's as gay as the day is long! He feels nothing below the belt for her, stop perving!'_

"You okay there, Hidan? You're kinda...pink.", Sakura asked her soul mate, smirking when the flush on his cheeks shined brighter. He was just way too easy to tease. She sighed in relief as the blonde koala un-koala-ed himself from her torso. She grabbed each of the boy's hands and led them to the open doorway, ushering them through the door before stepping inside behind them.

Sasori shut the door behind her and sighed at his soul mate's enthusiasm. Just watching the blonde prance around and tackle their poor, pink haired friend made him tired. He felt Sakura's arms wrap around him in a small hug and he easily returned the gesture. Normally, he wasn't a touchy feely kind of person, but he was slowly getting used to people other than his soul mate showing him any sort of affection.

When she let go of Sasori, Sakura allowed herself to be dragged away by Hidan towards the living room. She assumed that that was where Kakazu currently was. She swallowed thickly as they entered the tiny living room. Her eyes immediately zoned in on the older man sitting a recliner channel surfing. She could tell that he was older than eighteen, signaling that he had meet and connected with his soul mate. She silently wondered where he or she was but wasn't about to ask out of fear of being rude.

"So, you must be the idiot's soul mate.", Kakazu spoke up, not even looking up from the television.

"That's right, you must be Kakazu. It's nice to meet you.", she replied kindly.

"Likewise, though I do pity you for being stuck with that idiot.", the older man smirked, shutting off the television and turning his attention towards the woman currently standing in the middle of his home. He had to admit, Hidan was lucky. She was quite the exotic beauty.

"Oi, knock your shit off, old man!", Hidan snapped, wrapping an arm around Sakura's shoulders once again before giving his oldest friend a small pout.

Sakura heard both Deidara and Sasori snort with amusement from the kitchen and she had to resist the urge to copy the action. Instead, she decided to take in the image of the man sitting a few feet away from her. Dark, deep green eyes that lacked pupils bore into her own bright green eyes. Her eyes strayed away from his and zeroed in on the strange tattoos that seemed to liter his entire torso, even parts of his face.

Stitches, he had stitches tattooed all over his body. She figured that most people would be intimidated, but she was more intrigued that anything. She'd always been a fan of body art, piercings, tattoos, or otherwise. She found them all to be beautiful works of art.

"Best be nice to my soul mate, Kakazu, or I won't share my cooking with you.", Sakura threatened with a small smile.

"I like this one, don't fuck it up, kid.", Kakazu ordered before smirking at the small slip of woman across from him.

"You think I don't fucking know that, Stitches?!", the silver haired man retorted, his pout still in place.

"Well, while you two argue like an old married couple, or Sasori and Deidara, I'm going to go put these baked goods away.", Sakura snickered before snatching her bag back from her soul mate and made her way back towards the small kitchen that they had passed through minute prior.

She ignored the protests of both the men she left in living room and giggled at the pouts that Sasori and Deidara were shooting her way as she entered the kitchen.

It would seem that they had heard her comment about them arguing like an old married couple. It wasn't like the couple could really deny it. She swore that the couple argued more than anything. But every time they argued, you could see the love in their eyes as they did so. It was their weird way of showing affection and Sakura couldn't have been more happy for them if she tried.

She walked past her boys, ruffling their hair as she passed and set her bag of goodies down on the small counter in the kitchen. The kitchen space was alot smaller than what she was used to working with, but she would make due with what she had. She carefully removed the containers containing seemingly every baked good known to man out of the bag. Sasori and Deidara watched with unhinged jaws as she pulled container after container out of the bag.

They heard Kakazu and Hidan walk into the kitchen, the watched as the older man's eye twitched in excitement at the sheer amount of food that the young woman had brought into his room. And free of charge, no less. Hidan smirked at his woman as she unpacked the food she had brought.

Sensing four pairs of eyes staring at her back, Sakura turned around and huffed in amusement at the faces that three of the four men were making.

"What's with the faces?", she giggled before shooting a smirk in her soul mate's direction.

"Holy shit, yeah."

"We're friend's with fucking Mary Poppins."

"Did Sasori just say 'fuck'?"

"When can you move in, Pinky."

"I'm a woman. Packing unimaginable amounts of shit into a single bag is one of my specialties. And Kakazu, I'm not moving in with you, I have a perfectly good house not that far from here, thank you very much." Sakura retorted with a smirk. She was completely fine with her boys calling her Mary Poppins as long as they didn't expect her to whip out an umbrella and break into song. That would be crossing so many lines.

"So, uh, what did you all bring, yeah?", Deidara asked, eyeing the diabetes inducing goodness that lay waiting a mere two feet away from him.

"Muffins, cookies, pies, doughnuts, the works. Anything you can think of, it's probably in there somewhere. Help yourselves, boys.", she responded with a shrug before all but diving out of the way as her blonde friend charged towards the counter like an enraged rhino.

 _'From koala to rhino. He must have been an animal in a past life.'_ , she snickered mentally.

"Something funny, Sakura?", Hidan asked through a muffin. He saw her eye twitch as he stuffed the rest of the baked good into his mouth before swallowing it. He couldn't help it, her food was addicting, dammit!

"I was imagining a rhino with Dei's hairstyle and his sense of style prancing around the Pride Lands.", Sakura admitted with a shrug.

"Why would he be in the Pride Lands? That's lion territory.", Sasori pointed out with a cookie sticking out of his mouth.

"He's so fruity, the lions probably wouldn't be interested.", Kakazu shrugged before grabbing a full container containing jelly filled doughnuts. He silently challenged the younger men in the room to try to steal in from him.

Everybody took a small step away from the older man, easily believing that he wouldn't hesitate to beat them to death with a box full of doughnuts if they so much as touched the box.

"I'm not fruity, yeah! I'm just in touch with my feminine side.", Deidara protested.

"Dei, babe, I love you, but you paint nails and braid hair better than me.", Sakura pointed out before stealing the muffin in her soul mates hand and taking a bite. She ignored his pout and shoved the remainder of the treat into his mouth just as he was about to protest the theft of his food.

"She's got you there, Deidara.", Sasori agreed, rubbing slow circles in his boyfriend's back as the blonde's manliness was challenged.

"Don't rub it in, yeah!", the blond pouted.

"I love you, Dei.", Sakura replied sweetly.

"You better, Blossom.", he responded with a pout.

"I do, now eat your diabetes."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Sakura and Hidan both had the same passing thought as they watched their friends fool around and gorge themselves on unhealthy amounts of sweets.

They both felt complete and like they were exactly where the belonged.

* * *

Nearly an hour and Fates know how many sweets later, the group of five migrated back towards the living room. Sakura and Hidan rushed the couch and hoped over the back, both of them landing gracefully on the cushions on the other side. Kakazu reclaimed his chair and flipped the television on, searching for something to keep them all occupied, seeing as everybody had decided to crash in his home for the night.

Just as Sakura was getting comfortable, curling up into Hidan's side, Deidara plopped down on the floor in front of her and stretched his long legs out. He rested his head on one of her knees and sighed contently. Sasori strode up and gracefully sat down on the floor next to him and claimed Sakura's other knee as his pillow. The pink haired woman just shook her head and ruffled their hair before curling herself back into her soul mate's side. She smiled contently as his arm snaked around her shoulders, drawing him closer to him.

After Kakazu finally decided on a movie for them to watch, all eyes zoned in on the show playing. All four guests nodded their head in approval as the opening credits for the seventh Saw movie started rolling.

"Not going to scream when it gets all gory, are you, Pinky?", Kakazu asked with amusement.

"If anything, it'll probably make me hungry. What kind of girl do you think I am, Kakazu? I'm not a pansy.", she retorted with a snort.

"Holy shit, she's perfect for you, Hidan. Mess this shit up and I may have to kill you.", the older man threatened, promises of pain lacing his tone.

"Pretty sure he already knows that if he hurts her, he'll die, yeah.", Deidara pointed out with a small smirk.

"We already threatened him with death when he finally accepted that Sakura was his soul mate.", Sasori yawned, burrowing his head further into Sakura's knee.

"Why do I suddenly feel like you guys love her more than me?", Hidan pouted.

"Because she feeds us and she's nicer, yeah.", Deidara teased.

"Oi, I fucking cook!", the silver haired man protested.

"You gave me food poisoning. There is a reason we don't allow you to cook anymore.", Sasori retorted with a lazy wave of his hand.

"Oh, so you only love me for my cooking skills.", Sakura pouted, turning her head away from the group with a huff.

"You know we love you for more than your womanly skills, babe. Shut up, yeah.", Deidara snickered before planting a kiss on her knee.

"What he said, quit your pouting. It's too cute.", Sasori agreed before giving her other knee a squeeze.

"You just got kissed by another man, should I be fucking worried?", Hidan teased.

"I lack the anatomy for him to be attracted to me in a sexual manner, calm your jealousy, Hidan.", Sakura laughed. She turned her head and planted a soft kiss on the silverettes cheek before returning her attention towards the movie, completely missing the small blush that crept onto Hidan's features.

Deidara, Sasori, and Kakazu shared a knowing look and secretly smiled at their friends. It was nice to finally see Hidan happy. It had been so long since they had seen their foul mouthed friend actually smile, much less make a facial expression that wasn't a scowl. Sakura truly was the one for him, none of them were about to deny that.

* * *

By the time the movie ended, Sakura's knees were starting to go numb. Halfway through the movie, Deidara and Sasori had fallen asleep against her, their arms lightly wrapped around the other's shoulders. She smiled softly at their content, sleeping faces. She looked over and found that Kakazu had also fallen asleep in his chair. She was surprised that the intimidating man could look so peaceful in his sleep.

Well, as peacefull at a six foot eight man could look.

The man was huge for Fates sake!

She removed her gaze from the older man and looked over at Hidan, finding that he was watching her sleepily. She gave him a small smile.

"Thanks for bringing me here today, I really needed this.", she whispered.

"Trust me, we were more than happy to have you. Can't believe you became a damn human pillow for the Baka Duo though.", he replied quietly.

"I don't mind, they're comfy, that's all I care about.", she snicked softly.

"What about my comfort?", he pouted.

"Your's comes before there's, obviously."

"It better.", he teased around a yawn.

"Go to sleep, Hidan. You look like you're about to pass out.", she ordered with a small yawn.

"Looks like I'm not the only one.", he smirked.

"Say, Hidan."

"Hmm?"

"Can I try something?"

"Does it involve maiming me in anyway?"

"No.", she snorted.

"Then go for it."

And before he knew what was happening, he felt a pair of soft lips timidly caressing his own. His eyes widened slightly, his mind going a mile a minute.

Sakura was kissing him!

 _'Kiss her back, fuck ass!'_

With a mental shake of his head, he leaned into the kiss, his eyes sliding closed. He slanted his mouth over hers to deepen the kiss, reveling in the sigh of content he heard from her. He smirked against her lips before pulling away. She smiled shyly at him and before he knew what he was doing, he pulled her in for another kiss. She giggled softly against his lips and pulled away after a few moments.

"We should get some sleep before the others wake up and yell at us for being weird.", Sakura whispered with a smirk.

"Good fucking point. Damn them.", Hidan agreed with a sigh.

With a small laugh, Sakura adjusted her body a little so Hidan could get more comfortable. She carefully arranged herself so she wouldn't wake the two boys currently using her legs as a pillow and lowered her head so it was resting on her soul mate's chest. It wasn't the most comfortable position she'd ever slept in, but she wasn't about to ruin any of her boys' comfort. With one last sigh of content, she allowed her eyelids to close and was out cold a few minutes later, Hidan not too far behind.

Once the couple was asleep, Kakazu cracked an eye open.

"About fucking time, kid. If anybody deserves happiness, it's you four. Blondie and Red have been able to depend on each other, but you deserve this more than anyone.", he muttered almost silently to himself.

He got up from his chair quietly and silently padded down a hallway and pulled a couple blankets out of the closet in the hallway. He quietly walked back into the living room and draped one of the blankets over the sleeping couple on his couch. Once he was done, he draped the other one over the sleeping couple leaning against the pink haired woman that their world seemed to know revolve around.

Once the four friends were covered up, he returned to his chair and got comfortable. He sent one last glance over to the teenagers gathered around his couch. He allowed himself a small smile at the picture. He had known the three boys for years and he had never seen any of them so content.

If anyone was going to make his boys truly happy, it was going to be the small, pink haired woman that was currently curled up on his couch.

Just as Kakazu was about to take sleep as his mistress, he heard a sound come from Deidara's mouth that could only be described as a walrus in heat. His eye twitched at the sound and shook his head before turning over and letting himself fall into unconsciousness.

 _'From clingy koala, to enraged rhino, to a horny walrus, the fuck is_ wrong _with that kid...'_

* * *

 **EEEEK! They kissed! How sweet! *Coos***

 **I made Kakazu fatherly, how scary is that!**

 **Just some fluff and diabetes this time around, but that's the best thing in the world. Uff!**

 **We will be hearing back from Itachi dearest next chapter! Maybe we'll finally get some answers about Sasuke the Stalker! Whoop!**

 **Just what all happened in Sakura's boys' pasts, eh? Guess you'll just have to stick around and find out. ;)**

 **Again, if you enjoyed, please leave a review, favorite, and follow! They give me life and make me want to update faster!**

 **Until Next Time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**So yeah, I'm finally back on this story after lord knows how long. I want to go ahead and apologize for my absence from all of my Naruto stories. Life got busy and I was focusing on my Fairy Tail story, which is now complete, and just didn't have time to work on anything else. Now that my other story is complete, it's time to get back into this story and allow it to be my sole focus aside from maybe a stray chapter or two of a different one if inspiration hits me. Again, I apologize greatly for my absence and thank everyone that has taken the time to read this story so far, you guys rock!**

 **Literally sat down and wrote this all in one sitting because you guys totally deserve this. I'll try to get my shit together so I can update more often. Sorry that this chapter isn't very long, but I still need to get back into the groove of working on this story, as I plan to have this story to be my main focus until its completion.**

 **Anyway!**

 **I do not own Naruto or its characters, just the plot to this story.**

 **If you enjoyed, please leave a review, favorite, and follow!**

 **S Lyubov'yu,**

 **Casper**

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Previously;

 _Once the four friends were covered up, he returned to his chair and got_ comfortable. _He sent one last glance over to the teenagers gathered around his couch. He allowed himself a small smile at the picture. He had known the three boys for years and he had never seen any of them so content._

 _If anyone was going to make his boys truly happy, it was going to be the small, pink haired woman that was currently curled up on his couch._

 _Just as Kakazu was about to take sleep as his mistress, he heard a sound come from Deidara's mouth that could only be described as a walrus in heat. His eye twitched at the sound and shook his head before turning over and letting himself fall into unconsciousness._

 _'From clingy koala, to enraged rhino, to a horny walrus, the fuck is_ wrong _with that kid...'_

* * *

The first thought that came to Sakura's mind when she woke up the next morning was that her legs had gone completely numb at some point during the night. She groggily opened her eyes and glanced down at the sleeping forms of Deidara and Sasori. She couldn't help the smile that graced her lips as she watched them sleep comfortably next to each other, both of them still using her legs as a pillow. She was sure that their backs probably wouldn't feel the greatest when they finally woke up, but she hadn't had the heart to move them before her and Hidan had finally crashed for the night.

The pink haired woman raised a sculpted pink eyebrow in confusion when she noticed that both her and Hidan, along with Sasori and Deidara, had been covered with a blanket at some point during the night. When she realized that Kakazu must have woken up after they had all fallen asleep and had been kind enough to cover them up, she couldn't help but shoot a grateful smile at the still slumbering man.

While he had looked rather intimidating when she had first met him, she could tell that he was really just a big softy under all his stitched tattoos and his terrifying height. In her experience, huge men like him were usually total teddy bears when you got to know them. It seemed that Kakazu was no different in this case.

Finally, she stole a glace up at the sleeping form of her soul mate, Hidan. She felt her cheeks warm as she recalled their kiss from the night before and still couldn't believe that she had been so bold as to kiss him when they were in a room with all their friends. Sleeping or not, she hadn't expected herself to make the first move. Especially since she had no idea if any of them were going to wake up at any given moment. Either way, she didn't regret her decision to kiss Hidan.

Thinking of the silver haired man as her soul mate was still a totally new feeling to the young woman. She had never expected that she would be so lucky as to meet her soul mate right away on her eighteenth birthday. She had spent years researching the subject of soul mates that she had found out that finding them right away was nearly unheard of, not that she was complaining. By meeting Hidan on her birthday, she had saved herself a lot of sleepless nights of wondering when he'd drop into her life.

She lost herself in thoughts of what the future potentially held for them and couldn't help but smile. Her thoughts strayed to dates that they could possibly go on, if he was into that sort of thing. Sakura prided herself on not being a clingy and superficial person. She honestly didn't need the fancy dinners and expensive dates. As long as he remembered her birthday, she was totally fine with it. But it didn't hurt to think about the possibilities.

She silently wondered if Hidan had any dreams of children when he got older. While she had never really given the idea much thought, now that she'd found Hidan, the thought of kids didn't bother her at all. It wasn't a subject that she planned on bringing up for a quite some time, but again, thinking about the possibilities never hurt anybody. Before she would even consider children, she wanted to be completely sure that she was ready. She had goals for the future and wanted to achieve them before even considering expanding her family.

Hell, she wanted to focus on her relationship with Hidan for as long as she could before thinking about bringing anybody else into it. Having Sasori, Deidara, and now Kakazu in the picture didn't bother her one bit though. She loved having her blonde haired friend around and enjoyed Sasori's company and his thoughts surrounding art and the future. While she enjoyed talking to Deidara about art, she wasn't as big on explosions as he was, that was probably something that Hidan could probably get into though.

Sakura was brought out of her wandering thoughts when she heard a grunt and felt an arm tighten around her shoulders. She shook her head of her thoughts and turned her attention back to Hidan, instantly locking her eyes with his. She shot him a small smile and greeted him into the world of the living with a chaste kiss.

"Morning, sleepy head.", Sakura whispered, careful not to wake up anyone else in the room. She knew that Sasori and Deidara slept like the dead, but she didn't want to risk waking Kakazu.

"Morning, Pinky.", Hidan grunted around a yawn.

Sakura couldn't help but snicker quietly at his sleepy display and stole another quick kiss from the half-awake man. When she pulled away, she didn't even attempt to hide her smirk when she saw his cheeks flush with a small blush. He was just too cute when he was caught off guard.

Hidan's mind whirled as her lips touched his, never in his life did he think that he'd enjoy being brought out of his slumber in such a way. It made his insides churn in a way that made him feel like a giddy teenage girl. He could tell that his cheeks had tinted a pale shade of red and prayed to the Fates that none of the guys in the room would choose that moment to wake their happy asses up. That was just what he needed right away in the morning, some shit about how he was totally in love and that he was a sap.

"What time even is it?", Sakura asked with a small yawn of her own. She would never understand why whenever someone would yawn near her, she couldn't help but follow suit with a yawn of her own.

Hidan rummaged around in his pocket for a moment and after struggling for a moment due to their position on the couch, finally claimed his prize. He hit the power button on the side of the device and couldn't stop the small wince the wracked his body when the harsh light from the phone screen assaulted his eyes. After blinking away the blurriness in his eyes, he glanced back at the screen to check the time.

"It's already nine, I'm surprised old man Kakazu is still asleep, he's usually up at the ass crack of dawn.", the silver haired man muttered.

"Diabetic coma?", Sakura couldn't help but ask around a small giggle.

"I wouldn't be surprised, to be honest.", Hidan replied with a small shrug of his shoulders.

"Do you think we should get everyone up? I think there's still enough baked goods from yesterday for us to have for breakfast and I don't know about you, but I'm hungry as hell.", Sakura asked.

"Probably a good idea. How should we go about waking up the boys currently using my legs as a backrest and pillow?", the pink haired woman asked with a smirk.

"You could always moan really loud.", Hidan suggested with a perverted wink.

"Dude, they'd probably wake up and immediately try to murder your ass, and I doubt Kakazu wants you blood all over his couch.", Sakura pointed out with a sigh.

"Then I'm fresh out of ideas.", he replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I got this, push me into a sitting position. I can't feel the lower half of my body so there's no way I can do this by myself.", Sakura snickered.

And so, after a few grunts and countless curses, Sakura was finally able to be pushed into a sitting position on the couch. She took a moment to stretch her upper body as best she could in her current position before turning her attention to the sleeping boys on the floor in front of her. She slowly leaned forward until her head was positioned between theirs. She quickly shot Hidan a devilish smirk before lowering her lips towards Sasori's ear.

"I'm never baking for you or Deidara ever again.", she whispered sweetly into the slumbering red heads ear.

As soon as the words left her lips, Sasori's eyes shot straight open in a panic. Sensing that he was about to swing his head around to face her, Sakura quickly lifted herself out of the way of the impending headbutt heading her way. She couldn't help the small flinch that traveled through her body as Sasori's head connected full force with his boyfriend's. With a startled yelp of pain, Deidara was brought out of his peaceful slumber. Sasori didn't even seem to notice the fact that he'd assaulted his soul mate's head with his own as he whipped his head around to face Sakura.

"You wouldn't really stop feeding us, would you?!", the panic ridden man cried uncharacteristically. His normally calm, brown eyes were filled with dread and terror at the thought of living the rest of his life without Sakura's cooking. He hadn't known her for very long, but her food was his main source of nutrition at this point and he didn't want to risk losing it.

Hearing his boyfriend's panic filled words, Deidara immediately whipped his head around to face Sakura as well.

Sasori didn't even notice when the blonde's messy hair smacked him right in the face. There were more important things to worry about at that moment.

"You're not going to feed us anymore, yeah?! What'd we do to piss you off?! We'll make it up to you! I don't think I can live without your food, yeah!", Deidara wailed in a panic.

"The fuck are those two freaking out about? And why is Sasori showing emotions this early in the morning?", Kakazu grunted as he peaked a sleepy eye open at the four teenagers in his living room.

"Sakura woke the idiots up by saying that she wasn't going to feed them anymore. Both are freaking out because her cooking is life.", Hidan shrugged, not even bothering to look over at the older man. This shit was way too entertaining to look away from. He wasn't about to risk missing even a single moment of this embarrassing display. Especially since Sasori looked more scared than Deidara at this point. Such displays of emotion from the red head were rare and he wanted to soak in as much of it as humanly possible.

"Clever. Her baked goods taste damn good, I can only imagine what kind of shit she can make for dinner.", the older man mused before turning his attention towards the scene that was unfolding in front of his couch. He could get used to entertainment like this, it was better than cable.

"Why do you want to stop cooking for us, Sakura? Have we upset you in some way?", Sasori asked with a pout.

 _'Pouts that cute shouldn't be legal for a man, dear Fates.'_ , Sakura cried in her head.

"Please don't let me starve, Sakura!", Deidara cried, real tears threatening to spill.

Deciding that she'd scared them long enough, Sakura decided it was time to come clean to her boys. Seeing Deidara almost reduced to tears at the thought of her not wanting to cook for him and his boyfriend anymore oddly broke her heart. Or maybe it was just the fact that she didn't ever want to be the reason that Deidara shed a single tear. She silently promised to kick the shit out of anyone who so much as made a hurtful comment towards her blonde friend.

"I was only kidding you two, I didn't know how else to wake you two up. I didn't want to kick my legs out from under you and accidently hurt you, you know?", Sakura admitted with a sheepish smile. She had no idea that either of them were so dependant on her cooking. Hell, she didn't even know if either of them had the ability to cook.

"So you thought threatening us with certain death was the best course of action?!", Deidara wailed dramatically, his arm flailing out around him, narrowly missing his soul mates face.

"That's a bit dramatic, but I didn't know what else to do. I don't think I could have moved my legs away, even if I wanted to. The little bastards are completely numb.", Sakura muttered with a small smile.

"You could have woken us up before you went to sleep and asked us to move, you know.", Sasori pointed out, now having regained his composure.

"You two looked comfortable and just too damn cute for me to even consider moving you. I don't regret having numb legs. I can only imagine that your backs hurt a little though.", the pink haired woman shrugged, her smile still firmly in place.

"Just a little stiff, but I'm fine.", Deidara shrugged, "I'll live."

"Same with me, we'll feel better after a hot shower.", Sasori nodded in agreement.

Sakura sighed in relief before she started massaging the feeling back into her legs. Once she was convinced that she wouldn't land on her ass once she put weight on them, she lifted herself from the couch and gave her body a proper stretch. She let out a groan of approval when she felt her joints pop and shot Hidan a mock glare when she heard him shuffle uncomfortably behind her.

"Perverted ass soul mate.", she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Damn right, Pinky.", the silver haired man smirked.

Sakura just shook her head at his antics and turned towards the kitchen.

"I think there's plenty of baked goods for left from yesterday for breakfast. I don't know about you guys, but I don't really feel like cooking this morning.", Sakura announced as she entered the kitchen.

"I could always cook!", Hidan suggested.

"Hell no!", the remaining four occupants of the apartment shouted in unison.

"Haters.", Hidan pouted.

"I like living, thank you.", Sasori snorted as he rose from the living room floor.

"I still can't eat French Toast thanks to you, yeah.", Deidara complained.

"So much clogging...", Kakazu muttered with a cringe.

Somehow, Sakura really, really didn't want to know just how bad her soul mates skills in the kitchen were.

* * *

Breakfast with her boys passed without incident and for that, Sakura was grateful. It always seemed that every time her and her boys would sit down to eat, someone would make a comment that would end with someones face covered in half eaten food. While she loved her boys to the moon and back, half eaten food landing in her hair just wasn't something that she enjoyed. Even though they hadn't argued about anything during breakfast, that didn't stop her favorite boys from bickering while she wasn't in the room.

The pink haired woman couldn't help but smile as she listened to Deidara and Hidan argue in the living room while she did the dishes from their breakfast in the kitchen. The boys had all but begged her to allow them to take care of them later, but she wouldn't hear a word of it. Somehow taking care of them in the simplest ways gave her a sense of purpose. It brightened her day every time they smiled at her with nothing but love and adoration every time they thought she wasn't looking. She had a feeling that they knew that she was aware of their actions, but chose not to point that fact out to them. They were content with how things were and so was she. She wasn't about to try to change the little routine they had going on.

They made her feel happier than she had in years and she wanted to hold onto that happiness as long as humanly possible.

Just as Sakura was setting the last dish from breakfast on the dish rack to dry, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, signalling her that someone was trying to call her. She raised a sculpted pink eyebrow in confusion, people didn't usually try to call her unless it was Deidara these days. She quickly dried her hands and fished her phone out of her pocket. When she saw the Itachi's name lit up on her phone, her eyes widened. She had been wondering when he was going to call, but she was surprised that he was trying to contact her so early in the morning.

Brushing aside her confusion for the moment, she swiped her phone to right and lifted the phone to her ear.

"Good morning, Itachi, I wasn't expecting you to call me so early in the morning. It's rare that you're out of bed before noon.", Sakura greeted into her phone, a small smile plastered on her face. While the situation with the elder Uchiha's brother wasn't exactly ideal, she held Itachi dear to her heart.

"Good morning to you as well, Sakura. I regret to say that I have not slept yet and that is the reason that I am calling you this early in the morning.", Itachi's tired voice replied.

"Is everything alright?", the pink haired woman asked, her voice laced with concern for her usually stoic friend.

"I'm fine, Sakura. There is no need to worry about me. I will be getting some sleep once I have given you the information I have for you.", came his sleepy reply.

"Don't think I won't come to your apartment and knock you out myself if you don't go to sleep, Uchiha. What information did you have for me? Is it about your brother?", Sakura asked uneasily. While she wanted information about what was going on with the younger Uchiha sibling, the thought of him continuing to stalk her made her uneasy. She knew that Itachi would do everything in his power to keep her safe, but there was only so much he could do.

"I wouldn't expect you to do anything differently. But yes, it's about my brother. It would seem that the odds may actually be in your favor with his stalker like nature.", Itachi responded with a sigh.

"What do you mean by the odd might be in my favor? Forgive me if I don't quite understand what you mean.", Sakura asked, her voice laced with confusion.

She didn't even notice that Hidan, Kakazu, and the Baka Duo were all standing in the doorway of the kitchen, watching her intently.

It wasn't until a moment later that Hidan sprung towards his soul mate as she hung up her phone and dropped to her knees. He quickly dropped himself down to her level and scooped her into his arms, effectively wrapping her in a warm, loving embrace.

"What happened, Sakura?", the silver haired man whispered into her hair, just loud enough for the trembling woman in his arms to hear.

Sakura lifted her head from her soul mate's shoulder and looked into his eyes, her own eyes shimmering with tears.

"Itachi gave me some really, really good news.", she replied, her happy tears finally spilling over.

"Well, don't keep us waiting, babe! What he say, yeah?", Deidara asked, his blue eyes flashing with excitement.

"It would seem that Sasuke stalking me has nothing to do with him thinking he's my soul mate anymore. It's actually for something completely different.", Sakura explained.

"And what would that reason be, doll?", Sasori asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He's actually found his soul mate already and who it is is actually quite shocking but unsurprising at the same time.", Sakura replied with a giggle.

"Quit dragging with out, woman! Who the hell is the little bastards soul mate?!", Kakazu grunted.

"Fine, fine, you guys ready for this?", Sakura giggled.

"Please, just tell us!", Deidara wailed dramatically.

"His soul mate...", Sakura began slowly.

"Go on...", Sasori coaxed.

"Spit it out already!", Hidan frowned.

"Fine, fine. His soul mate is Naruto.", Sakura smirked.

"WHAT?!", Deidara, Sasori, and Hidan screeched in unison.

"I couldn't believe it at first either.", Sakura snickered.

The four friends began talking about the future of Sasuke and Naruto for a few minutes before switching over to Hidan and Sakura's own future together.

None of them even noticed the confused look on Kakazu's face.

"Who the fuck is Naruto and why is it such a big deal...?", the older man muttered to himself.

* * *

 **Phew, finally another chapter finished. Again, I am sooooo sorry that this took so long for me to get out. I'll try to update more often from now on. I hope that this chapter was worth the wait and that you guys can forgive me for disappearing for so long.**

 **I do not use a beta, so please excuse any mistakes I may have missed while I was editing.**

 **If you enjoyed, please leave a review, favorite, and follow!**

 **Until Next Time!**


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